When I'm Calling Lou
by WritePassion
Summary: Sequel to Dawning of the Coming Thing. Louisa settles into life in the 19th Century as the new school teacher while she waits for Socrates to make his intentions known. Meanwhile, a stranger is in town, and another woman causes trouble.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own the Adventures of Brisco County Jr. except on DVD. I just like to play with it and pretend that this is what Season 2 might have looked like._

_Thanks to IcyWaters for reminding me of a character from Socrates' past. Without that kick in the pants, I never would have written this story._

**When I'm Calling Lou**

By WritePassion

Louisa Allen always hated the first snowfall. No matter how beautiful, it always created problems. _People drive like idiots and crash, like they've never driven in snow before!_ She always tried to find other alternatives to using her little car, because as a poor college student she couldn't afford to repair or replace it if someone hit it. Insurance was useless if you didn't have the money for the deductible. But no amount of insurance coverage could help her little red Fiesta now, because it was dead and buried under ten feet of landfill, right under the main street of Sunset Ridge, at the closing of the year 1893.

It was her fault. She blew it up when Pete Hutter attempted to steal it and use the car's time machine upgrade to forever ruin the past, present, and future. Unfortunately, her presence, along with Cal Reynolds and his sister Kelly's, was probably enough to make a dent, or a rip, in the time continuum. It was better than being dead she supposed, and hopefully their friends and relatives in 2012 wouldn't know that their world had changed, if it had changed. There was no way to go back and check. The three of them were stranded and trying to make the best of it in this backwards time in a backwards little town.

Cal, who had arrived first, acclimated and married Sara Hart, the daughter of one of the shop keepers, who also happened to be the town's Reverend. Word had it that Sara and Cal were already expecting. As Louisa walked to the school from Sheriff Brisco County Jr.'s house, where she boarded, she passed the store and saw Cal inside with his bride Sara. Sheesh, has he no shame, necking with her like that, practically in public? It was actually quite innocent compared to twenty-first century standards, but for the nineteenth, it was nearly scandalous even if they were married. Louisa smiled and waved when they acknowledged her, and she again successfully hid the cold lump of regret behind her cheerful expression.

_He could have been mine, but I was too busy focusing on my new life here and how I would survive._ Socrates Poole didn't help matters. He distracted me, and then it was too late to change allegiances, because Cal was engaged. He was Sara's hero after he saved her from the Muldoons, and there was no way I could ever compete.

She was only a block away from the school yard, and the street and boardwalks were already covered with a thin blanket of white. One shop keeper came out with a broom and swept the flakes away.

"Mornin', Miss Allen." He smiled at her.

"Morning, Mr. Mueller."

"Be careful walking in this stuff, ma'am. These walkways can get slippery!"

She turned her head to reply, as she had already passed his shop. "Thank you. I'll do that." She still hadn't gotten used to being addressed as ma'am. That's what people called her grandma. But in this time, it was normal. Lost in her thoughts, her head swiveled around to look straight ahead, and she ran right into the sturdy chest of a strange man. Louisa let out a yelp as her shoes slipped and she fell onto her seat so hard it took her breath away.

"I'm sorry, Miss." The dark haired stranger held out a gloved hand and helped her stand. "Are you injured at all?"  
"No, I'm okay, thanks." She found herself staring at him. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him.

He smiled at her under a full black mustache. "The shop keeper is correct. These boardwalks can be slick when it snows. You must not be from around here, or you would know that."

"I..." She hesitated. In her time, no one traveled the concrete sidewalks unless absolutely necessary, so she wasn't used to walking in snow no matter what the surface. "I'm sorry, I really need to get going. I'll be late for prepping the classroom." She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Sir, for your help. But I really, I have to go." Louisa broke away from him and hurried down the street, shuffling her feet to avoid falling again. The boardwalk ran out, she stepped down to the dirt and grass, and found better traction for rushing to the little school house.

"Louisa!"

She turned and saw Socrates standing at the bottom of the stairs that led to the apartment above his law office. He waved and his grin was a mile wide, his blue eyes crinkled up behind his spectacles as he greeted her.

"Hi Soc! I'll talk to you later! I have to get the classroom set up, and I'm running late." Beyond him, she saw the stranger watching. Who is that man? She had no more time to consider him. She had work to do, and Louisa was one who focused on a task and ignored everything else until it was finished.

Louisa.The stranger smiled as her name echoed in his head. She was beautiful, and unfortunately quite young. But that never stopped him before. When he was her age... he shook his head. No time for that. He had business to take care of. He caught sight of the man she called Socrates, and his eyes were on him, peering back through round glasses as if in recognition. But that was impossible. Time had dimmed peoples' memories of the man he resembled. He thanked God for that, because he'd endured many a close call sporting a rope necktie until he could prove who he really was.

Socrates approached him warily in front of a shop window. "Is there something I can do for you, Sir?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" He decided to be cautious.

"I was wondering, because you're standing in front of my office." Socrates smiled slightly.

The stranger looked at the sign painted on the window, and up to the placard that hung over the door. "You're Socrates Poole? You're a lawyer?"

"Yes. I specialize in civil law, but I've been called upon to handle a criminal case now and then."

"Ah, I see. Actually, I need a lawyer to assist me with a matter of property rights."

"That I can certainly help you with, Mr..."

"Barry. John Barry." He held out his hand.

"Mr. Barry. It's a pleasure to meet you! Now, why don't we go inside? I'll get the stove heated up in no time and we can talk about your situation."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." He gave the school yard one last look. Louisa must have gone inside. A thin wisp of smoke floated up from the chimney in the center of the rooftop. He made a mental note to see if he could speak with her later, then followed Socrates inside the cold building.

That man's dark brown eyes captivated Louisa. When she looked into them, they were so dark that she couldn't see the pupils. Brisco had brown eyes, but his were nothing like the stranger's, which were unique and full of pain and regret. She'd been so entranced, she barely noticed that his hair was nearly black and his pale face seemed so serious, and that he was fashionably dressed. She stood in front of the blackboard thinking about him, trying to solve the mystery of why he looked so familiar. The children arrived and she startled out of her trance when the first one dropped his books on his desk. To cover up her inattentiveness, she swiped the chalk off her hands and slowly turned.

"Good morning, Joseph."

"Good morning, Miss Allen." The little blonde headed boy continued up the aisle to stop at her desk. In his hand, he held a cloth napkin wrapped around something. "My Ma made some chocolate cake and asked me to bring you a piece."

"Awww, thanks, Joseph! You tell your Ma thank you for me, please?"

"I will." He set the wrapped cake on her desk, grinned at her, and turned back to his own desk to prepare his books for the first lesson.

The other kids arrived in singles or bunches, chatting with each other and excited about starting a new day. Louisa had never taken any teaching classes, although she had a brief stint as a teacher's assistant in college. Kids were different than college students, but one thing was a constant: if the subjects weren't interesting and relevant to their minds, no measure of lecturing would capture their attention and desire to learn. Sometimes she worried about the school superintendent coming to inspect her classroom while she taught. He would no doubt be shocked with her methods. However, the test results didn't lie. Most of her kids consistently received Bs or above, and those that didn't were improving with some extra attention.

"Alright, let's get started." She couldn't wait to fill them with the day's lessons, especially science, her favorite class. "Today, since it's snowing right now, I want everyone to get into their coats and hats and mittens, because we're going outside to start our science class."

Emily raised her hand. "Miss Allen, we're supposed to start with spelling today." Like Louisa, the girl thrived on structure.

"Well, today there's a slight change. I don't want to risk losing the falling snow by the time we have science. Come on, let's go outside!" She picked up a large case from a bookcase behind her desk, grabbed a small wooden box beside it, and led the children outside. "Would someone please swipe off the snow from that stump?" One of the older boys did her bidding. "Thank you." She opened the case and brought out a black iron object with shiny metal parts.

"Wow, is that one of Dr. Wickwire's microscopes?"

"Yes it is, Joseph. He let me have it when he moved away. Now, I'm going to give each one of you a small, thin piece of glass. It's called a slide. I want you to take this slide and try to catch a snowflake with it, and when you do, come over and we'll try to look at it under the microscope."

"Won't it melt?"

"Not if you stick your slide into some snow first to cool it, and then hold it by the edges." The kids did what she said and walked around the yard trying to catch just the right snowflake. They compared flakes with each other and oohed and ahhed over the variety. "As you look at each other's flakes, you'll notice that not a single one looks alike. Isn't that amazing?"

"I caught two on my slide," one of the older boys said. He brought the glass to Louisa.

"Well, then you'll get to look at both of them. Go ahead, put it on the stage, clip in there, and then take a look. This knob will focus it."

The boy leaned over and he gasped when the flakes came into focus. "That's really neat!"

"Can you sketch what you're seeing?" She handed him a pad of plain newsprint and a pencil. He nodded and took his time drawing the flakes. "Good job. You can take that inside and tack it up over the chalkboard. I want everyone to do the same. Do your best rendition, because this is also part of our art project for today."

The kids loved it when she piggy-backed subjects. It helped to make things more concrete and eased their learning experience. Some days were a lot of work, and then she would have to go home and prepare the next brilliant day between helping Dixie with supper and tidying up the house. The couple had a little one on the way, and as her belly increased in size, Dixie found it harder to keep up with everything.

With the days growing colder, the night came sooner. All day the snow fell in light flakes, so by the time Louisa closed up the school house, the gray sky turned almost as dark as ash. She needn't have worried about her safety. With Brisco as sheriff and Cal as his deputy, the town was quite secure. She approached Socrates' office and peered through the window. The lamps lit the inside, although never like electric lights in the twenty-first century. Socrates had his head bent over some papers. She would have just knocked, but she didn't want to startle him.

Instead, she opened the door and entered. A bell jingled and announced her arrival. Socrates looked up, his eyes adjusting to the distance and focused on her. His expression went from serious to joyful, and his eyes lit up as he grinned, jumped from his seat, and closed the distance between them.

"Louisa! I'm so glad you could stop by on your way home." His hands cupped her elbows. The desire to kiss her was so blatant in his eyes, it sent a tingle down to her toes.

Her free hand touched his arm. "I can't stay long. Dixie needs my help. Besides, I couldn't very well walk through the door alone. I think she would send me marching right back here to get you!"

Socrates laughed. He loved the odd ways she spoke. "I take it I've been invited to dinner."

"Of course. Brisco wants to hear how the practice is going in your new building. I think Dixie just wants you to socialize with us." Louisa smiled. And maybe you can distract me from fine tuning my lessons for tomorrow. But she would never tell him that. She learned what sort of behavior was expected of a woman in the late nineteenth century. She didn't care for it, but if she had any hope of finding herself a man of quality, she quickly learned that following the rules would not only charm them, but keep her out of trouble.

"I would love to. I was going to go to the saloon for dinner tonight, but I would much prefer more wholesome company."

His warm smile made her giddy. No man had ever done that to her before, not even Cal. Maybe her corset was too tight. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. Just let me put these papers away." He closed the file and stuck it into the top drawer of the cabinet. He locked the cabinet with a small key on his key ring, slipped into his coat and hat, and let her go ahead of him out the front door. Another key secured the entrance. He slipped the ring into his pocket and asked, "Would you like me to take your books, Louisa?"

She giggled, which was so unlike her, and she wondered what had gotten into her. "I've never had anyone ask that before, Socrates." She smiled wide, held out the stack, and he took the books in his free hand and tucked them under his arm. She brought her hand up between his side and his other arm, laid it on his sleeve, and the two walked east toward Sheriff County's home.

As she walked beside him, Socrates' warmth helped take the chill out of the darkening evening. People greeted them and looked upon them with approval in their eyes. Rumor had it that someone at the saloon put up a bet that Socrates and Louisa would be married before the year was out. She wouldn't let anyone, especially Socrates, know how silly she thought that was. He hadn't even kissed her yet other than platonically on the cheek, so how could they? Maybe someday he would get up the courage to do more and express how he felt. Until he did, she would bide her time because he was the only one she had eyes for. But she wasn't getting any younger, even if she was in the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"We're here," Louisa announced as she and Socrates entered the vestibule and removed their outerwear. She scooped up the books that Socrates set on the bench and headed for the stairs. "Make yourself at home. I'll be down in a moment."

Louisa hurried to drop the books off in her room, put on her comfortable slippers, and she returned downstairs. Her foot caught in her skirt and petticoats, and she clamped her hand on the bannister to keep from falling. Her breath came out in shallow panting until she calmed herself. Drat! One of these days she would either tumble down the stairs and break her neck, or learn to pick up her skirt and petticoats and keep her feet free of the swaying material. Sometimes she wished that she hadn't adapted so well to this era. Louisa missed blue jeans with a passion.

"Dixie, how is everything going in here?" Louisa entered the kitchen and plucked an apron from a peg near the door. As she sidled up to Dixie, she tied it into a neat bow at her back.

"Everything is almost ready, if you would start taking bowls and things into the dining room."

"Certainly."

With the table set and the food steaming on the table, Dixie called out, "Brisco, Socrates! Dinner's ready!"

The men came out of the parlor, and both seated their ladies across from them at the table. Conversation and laughter filled the room, and as she participated, Louisa couldn't help but think how richly blessed her life had been the last few months. When she first drove with Kelly into the past and the time machine was destroyed, she thought it was the biggest tragedy to ever strike her. Yet now, if someone offered her a ride into the twenty-first century, she would turn them down flat. Life was simpler here, people connected more, and her friendships were more vivid and satisfying than any she had in the past that was her future.

Louisa placed her napkin beside her plate and stood to take up the empty dishes. Brisco laid a hand on her forearm and she looked at him. "Wait. It's only fair that since you ladies worked on supper, Socrates and I should clean up the mess."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, sounds like the future was a good influence on you."

"I learned a few things," Brisco answered with a smile. "Why don't you two go into the parlor, and figure out how you plan to entertain us this evening?"

"Oh," Dixie said with a laugh. "I should have known there was an ulterior motive. You scoundrel, Brisco." She rose and placed a light kiss on his cheek as she passed him. "We'll come up with something, won't we, Louisa?"

"You bet!" Ever since she set foot in the house and saw the shiny walnut upright piano that the previous owners had left behind, Louisa had wanted to play it. She just never seemed to have the time with her school duties and going to social events on Saturdays and church on Sundays. She only went to try to run into good eligible men, but she was disappointed to find that they had the same motives and they weren't always good.

Sunset Ridge had plenty of single men, but slowly more families moved in once word spread of the peace and safety in the town. The one saloon remained the only den of sin. The boys who liked to whoop it up packed it every night. That left few good men for the few single ladies. Cal's sister Kelly, who was one of them, found a kindred spirit in the town doctor. Any day now, folks expected them to announce an engagement, but Louisa and Cal both nixed the idea. Kelly wouldn't pull that trigger until she was ready, and it might take awhile because she had high standards.

Socrates was intelligent, kind of cute, and very well-mannered, but he was shy and a bit of a stick in the mud. So until he made his intentions clear, Louisa would shop the market. Too bad she kept him as a standard in her head. It was making dating quite difficult. She shook her head, got her mind off men and dating, and sat on the stool at the piano. Dixie took to the rocking chair nearby and picked up some crocheting.

"Dixie, do you mind if I play the piano?" Louisa sat facing Dixie with her hands on her knees, waiting with expectation and hope that she would say yes.

"Of course, go ahead." Dixie smiled. "I haven't had the time these days, and I feel like I won't have the chance for long, especially when this little one comes." She ran a hand over her rounded stomach. "It will be nice to have some music in the house. I was going to ask Brisco if we could get one of those talking machines."

"The phonograph? Oooh, that would be fun!"

Dixie smirked. "Well, we had a little adventure with one of those once, and a wax cylinder that was recorded on it put us in a lot of danger. So I'm not sure if he'd want one in our home."

Louisa sighed and used her feet to twist the stool in a lazy back and forth pattern. "I miss my computer. I could record music on it. I saved all my CDs on the hard drive. Compact discs... they were these discs about yay big." She used her hands to create a circle. "They had all the music recorded on them in..." She flapped a hand. "Well, never mind, it's really technical. Anyway, I had them saved on my computer and I could play them any time." She tried to keep the melancholy off her face, but Dixie saw it.

Leaning forward, Dixie put a hand on her knee. "I'm sorry Lou, that you've had to stay here."

Shaking her head and giving her a smile, Louisa said, "Even though I miss some things, overall I'm glad I'm here." She let out a sigh. "But tonight, I will pretend that I'm back, I mean, forward, in the twenty-first century and play some of my favorite songs." She put a smile on her face as she spoke, then whirled on the stool until it was the correct height for her. "I'm glad I have a photographic memory when it comes to sheet music, or I'd be up the creek right now." She placed her hands over the keyboard and started to play.

Something crashed, and Louisa stopped.

"Sorry, Dixie," Socrates shouted.

"Oh brother, if that was my butter dish, you'll have to look for a new beau, Lou." Dixie got up and waved off Louisa's assistance. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Louisa sighed and performed some finger exercises to limber up until Dixie returned. "Is everything okay in there?"

"It wasn't my butter dish, thank God. Just a glass. Still, it ruins the set now." She chuckled and shook her head. "And to think a few months ago my biggest worry was how I would fit my big feathered hat into my hat box without squashing any of the plumes!"

Dixie was so happy, Louisa could see that. She sat in the rocker and leaned back, and her face glowed in the lamplight. She'd heard that pregnant women did that, but Louisa suspected that it had more to do with the state of her life than just the child within her. She adored Brisco, and he practically worshipped her. They were the happiest couple she'd ever seen. Sometimes she saw a little more than she wanted to see. During those times they'd all blush and she would escape to her room to grade papers or set up the next lessons, while she heard their footsteps hurrying up the stairs, hushed voices, laughter, and the bedroom door closing with a solid thud. Louisa sighed and tried to wipe those memories out of her head. Focusing on the music would help.

The men took awhile, but when the last clean dish was stacked in the cupboard and the flour sack towels hung up near the stove to dry, the two were drawn to the parlor by the music. Their eyes widened when they observed Dixie sitting in the rocking chair and Louisa balanced on the stool, her fingers flying over the piano keys.

"I didn't know you played," Socrates said as he stood beside the piano. He'd never heard such a bouncy rhythmic tune outside of a saloon before, although he couldn't imagine it being played in such a place.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," she said as she tilted her head and looked up at him out of the corners of her eyes.

"What's the name of that song? I like it." Brisco took a seat next to Dixie's and watched her work at a small sweater for the baby.

"It's called Rhapsody in Blue. Now shush you two while I play!"

Socrates settled on an ottoman near Louisa's right elbow and watched her. The set mouth and the intensity in her eyes as she played the intricate note progressions intrigued him. A thin film of perspiration covered her brow as she neared the crescendo. Then the notes hung and fell away, and everyone held their breath for a moment before clapping. Louisa nodded, seemingly embarrassed at the attention.

"Well, that was simply amazing," Socrates said, and he delighted at how her cheeks flushed.

Louisa's strong, yet delicate, hand pulled a dainty handkerchief from her sleeve. She used it to mop her brow. "That one always takes a bit of effort. This one is another jazzy little number. It's called 'Linus and Lucy'."

"Jazzy?" Socrates asked with his brow crinkled.

"It's a style of music that hasn't been invented yet," Louisa replied with a sly smile. She put a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't tell anybody, okay?"

He grinned. "I won't."

"Good." She stuffed the handkerchief into her sleeve, let her hands hover, and then her fingers danced over the keys.

The pieces she played were nothing like any of them had ever heard before. After a couple more lively tunes, Louisa switched to something more sedate. "Let's bring the tempo down a bit." Once when Socrates asked about a tune, he was surprised when Brisco answered. "It was something I heard in the twenty-first century. I just wish I could remember what it was."

"It's called 'You Raise Me Up.' If I could remember all the lyrics..." She shook her head. "You wouldn't want me to sing them anyway."

"Oh sure we would." Dixie defied her friend's shyness. "Play something you can sing. Please?"

Louisa turned on the stool and studied Brisco and Dixie for a few moments. The two looked exactly as she would imagine two people madly in love would appear. Little air flowed between the two chairs. Brisco had his arm draped over Dixie's seat back and his hand caressed her shoulder, while his other hand played with the lace at the end of her sleeve when he wasn't moving up to her elbow and down again. Dixie's hands had long stilled over her needlework, and she leaned into him and set her head against his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll play something sweet and romantic, just for you two. This song is called 'More Than Words.'" Louisa rotated back to the piano keys. The music started, and she began singing. By the time she reached the chorus her eyes were closed and she was lost in the music.

Socrates watched her, stunned at the beauty of her voice. It started out shaky and self-conscious, but it grew in strength and yet was soft and emotional to match the music. As he lost himself in it and how the song transformed her, he realized that he'd fallen more deeply for Louisa than he'd ever fallen for any woman before. The words of the song spoke to him, telling him that she loved him too, and that if she were to ever know for sure, words were not enough. He would have to show her. Starting tomorrow, he would have to do something about that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

At breakfast the next morning, Dixie and Brisco discussed Lou's piano playing the night before. "It was better than anything I've heard in the saloons," Dixie said with a smile. "Or church, for that matter. Have you taken a lot of lessons?"

"When I was five I started and just picked it up. By the time I got to middle school, seventh grade I believe, I lost interest in piano and took up the flute. If I could get my hands on one..."

"What? Would you grace us with a concert," Brisco asked, his eyes smiling as much as his lips.

"I'm sure I could. I don't know where I'd find one, and the cost to purchase it, well, I don't know how expensive they are in this time. Back home, a good quality flute could set me back at least five hundred dollars." She frowned as both Brisco and Dixie gasped. "I know, I checked. That was one of the reasons I was working for the professor. I wanted to treat myself to a new flute. The one I had was old and wouldn't keep a tune anymore."

"You should check at the mercantile and see if they can order one," Dixie suggested. "Maybe you can get it before Christmas!" She leaned forward in her seat, excited about the idea. "There's still time to get things over the mountains, since the weather has been so mild."

Louisa smiled at Dixie. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if I can't afford it... well, I'll check. Will that make you happy?"

Dixie laughed. "Let me ask for you. I need to go to the store today anyway."

"Thanks, Dixie, but I'd really need to look at the catalog. There are all kinds of flutes out there, so I would need to know what's available."

"You should look today on your way to school." Dixie's smile intensified. Brisco sat across the table from Dixie and gave her a look. She knew that he knew she was up to something and would most likely not forget to speak to her about it before he left for the office.

Louisa laughed and checked the watch she wore on a pendant pinned to her shirtwaist over her left breast. "If I'm going to do it, I better hurry or I'll be late to school again!" She jumped up and rushed to the kitchen to retrieve her lunch basket without excusing herself. Brisco looked over his coffee cup at Dixie, and his eyes communicated a question to her.

"See you tonight!" Louisa called from the foyer, followed by the door slamming.

"Dixie..."

"Brisco..." She grinned. "That girl wants a flute so bad, she went tearing right out of here to go look at the mercantile's catalogs. Let the girl have a dream, why don't you?"

"Nothing wrong with a dream. But Dixie, five hundred dollars!"

Dixie flapped a hand. "They won't cost that much here, Brisco. You told me yourself that in the future Kelly paid ten dollars for a box of coffee that made a dozen cups. Surely a flute wouldn't cost more than, say, ten or twenty dollars."

"That's still a lot of money. Dixie, believe me, I would love to help her get a flute, but we need to think about the baby coming." He folded his napkin and laid it beside his empty plate. "I have an idea, though." He stood and knelt beside her chair. Looking up at her, he said, "What if a certain lawyer friend of ours, who is obviously smitten with our school teacher Miss Allen, were told that she dreams of a flute?"

Dixie's eyes sparkled and she took in a breath as her lips curved into a wide smile. "Yes! I'm certain Socrates would be only too happy to help make that dream come true. Whether he buys it himself or we help, I think it would make a fine Christmas present for Louisa."

"Good. I'll talk to him about it today."

"And I will go to the mercantile, do my shopping, and inquire about the model Louisa was interested in."

Brisco chuckled. "And you called me a scoundrel for having ulterior motives. What are your motives, Dixie?" He didn't really have to ask. He knew her as well as he knew himself.

"She's working so hard, Brisco." The smile faded and her eyes turned serious. "She deserves something nice. And if helping obtain it for her by finagling things with Socrates makes it happen, well, let's just kill two birds with one stone, shall we?"

"I agree. They obviously have feelings for each other. Soc is just too, I don't know, scared maybe? After that little incident with his secretary Miss Avnet being a spy, I think he's been more than a little cautious with women."

"But Louisa is the 'real deal' as she likes to say."

"You know that, and I know it, but maybe Socrates needs more convincing." He kissed Dixie's cheek as he stood. "I have to get to work, but I'll let you think about how to bend cupid's arrow toward these two and make them come to their senses."

Dixie stood and followed Brisco to the door. "But sweetheart, since when has sense had anything to do with love?"

He turned with his hat in his hand. While he looked her up and down, reminded again how much he loved her, he smiled broadly and replied, "You're absolutely right! But you know what I mean." He took her into his arms and angled her so she fit against him as he kissed her fully with a promise of more when he returned in the evening. "I love you, Dixie."

"I love you too, Brisco. Stay safe and return home to me."

"I will." He took possession of her mouth with his one more time and left her toes tingling as he slipped out into the snowy white world. The sun glanced off the fresh blanket, hurting his eyes. It was enough to make him wish for sunglasses.

A couple of blocks ahead, he spied Louisa exiting the Hart Mercantile. She didn't look his way. After a couple of steps she stopped, dug into her small bag, pulled something out and unfolded it. He smiled. All of her other modern clothes she stored away, but the sunglasses she kept for days like this. Heads turned as she walked on her way to class. By twenty-first century standards they were pretty nondescript, but the lenses covered her eyes from her brows to her cheekbones. No one had ever seen anything like them.

Brisco hurried to the barn to retrieve Comet and saddle him. The chestnut stallion snuffled, scolding Brisco for being late.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But this was important, Comet. Dixie and I were dealing with matters of the heart."

Comet bobbed his head and seemed to smile.

"Not for Dixie and me! We're talking about Louisa and Socrates." Brisco finished tightening the saddle, picked up the bridle leads, and mounted Comet. The horse whinnied. "Yeah, we think so too. I just wish they'd stop playing around and that somebody would say something first!" He rode out to the main street and turned Comet toward the sheriff's office. "Maybe if Dixie and I can make this plan work, they'll at least be together by Christmas if not engaged like some people think."

While he rode the short distance to the office, Brisco thought about himself and how much it took for him to finally ask Dixie to marry him. He'd been dancing around it for so long, afraid of giving her the life his mother had. When he decided to take the sheriff's position and put down roots, he feared that he would hate it. But he did it because he wanted to make Dixie happy, even at his own expense. While he couldn't say he was ecstatic about his limited range of jurisdiction, it afforded him certain comforts and security he never had before. With Bly and his gang dead or in jail, he had to admit that roaming the country had more to do with the desire to bring them to justice than to tame a wanderlust. Becoming domesticated was beginning to suit him. He looked forward to the birth of their child, yet he was a little scared that it would tie him down even more. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet.

Brisco pulled up to the office and tied Comet to the hitching post outside next to a mount that he knew well. He smiled, knowing that when he entered the office he would find Bowler with his deputy Cal Reynolds. A glance across the street made his smile even brighter when he caught sight of Louisa talking with Socrates in front of his office. The blush on her cheeks wasn't just from the cold. He was certain of that. Brisco stomped his boots on the wood planking and entered the office.

"Bowler! It's good to see you. Where've you been?"

"I was busy down near Los Angeles, but I been workin' my way back up here." He paused as he gave his friend a good once-over. "I had to come see how married life is treatin' you."

"It agrees with me more than I would have expected, Bowler." Brisco tossed his hat on the tree near the door and took his coat off and hung it beneath. He tugged on his shirt and tucked it into his pants where it had gotten loose, then moved to his desk. "Have you ever given any thought to joining us in getting married?"

"Yeah," Cal piped up with a grin. "Isn't there a Mrs. Bowler out there somewhere just waiting for you?"

Bowler looked at Cal and Brisco with an expression like something in the room suddenly smelled putrid. "No way, I ain't crazy enough to be institutionalized!"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Cal winked at Bowler. "Brisco, would you really wish this guy on any woman out there?"

"Smart aleck," Bowler exclaimed over his shoulder at the deputy who sat in the desk on the opposite side of the room. He turned back to Brisco. "The other reason I'm here is this." He laid a wanted poster down on the desk surface. "This fella is rumored to be around here somewhere, and I intend to find him. He's got a nice fat reward on him, and I want to reupholster my living room furniture."

"Why, when you're hardly ever there," Brisco asked.

"That's not important." Bowler bristled at the question. It obviously bothered him. Maybe he was starting to recognize the benefits of settling down when he saw how happy his two friends were with their wives, and that he was missing out on something good. But he refused to think about it. Business came first.

Brisco took his mind off thoughts of Bowler's love life and concentrated on the drawing. "John Jacobs. I remember this guy. He was responsible for that train robbery in which the train derailed and killed a half dozen people. Am I right?"

"One hundred percent. This fella is bad to the core, Brisco. I heard from a reliable source that he was heading out here. Probably to create some mayhem."

"The train doesn't come here. It stops in the next town over," Brisco said. "He specializes in train robberies, so if he intends to settle here in Sunset Ridge, I don't know what he'll do with himself."

"Probably find somethin' else to stir up trouble." Bowler tapped his finger on the drawing directly on the man's nose. "I'm tellin ya', he's comin' here. If he ain't here already."

"Well, if you can get me a copy of this, I'll post it and ask around," Brisco said. "This town and the surrounding areas have gotten so big, he could easily make himself hard to find."

"But I don't want anybody else gunnin' for him. He's mine!"

Brisco gave him a condescending smile. "Bowler, people around here, at least most of them, enjoy their peace. If we let them know this guy is dangerous and that any sightings should be reported to us or you, just watch and see. People will tell us instead of taking him on themselves."

"I think you're both crazy, but I'm willing to give it a try. I could use a little break from the old trail."

"You're not going back to San Francisco, are you?" Brisco asked with surprise and disappointment. He hoped that Bowler would stay.

"No, I'm plannin' on stickin' around for awhile, until I know for sure whether Jacobs is in the area or not."

"Good. I know Dixie would be disappointed if you didn't at least stop in to say hello, and have dinner. I wouldn't be surprised if she invited you to stay at our house. We have plenty of room. Four bedrooms. One is ours, one is reserved for the baby, and Lou is staying with us while she teaches school. It's part of her contract that we put her up with free room and board."

"That's quite a fine deal for her." Bowler responded.

"She earns her keep around the house, trust me! As Dixie finds it harder to do everything, Lou takes over." He fingered the papers on his desk as he thought about how much Louisa did. "I just wonder sometimes if she isn't doing too much." He fell silent, lost in his thoughts. It would be more than fair for him and Dixie to get her that flute for Christmas. But no doubt his wife had already set their plan into motion. Maybe there was something else they could do if Socrates was willing to buy the instrument.

"Brisco. Brisco!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, my mind wandered off there."

Bowler laughed, that deep heh heh heh that Brisco knew so well. "I heard that's a hazard of becoming a married man. I can't let that handicap me when I'm out there trailing bad men."

"Of course not. Gotta be on your game, man," Cal said. "But trust me, you don't know what you're missing." He grinned.

"I still say I'm not ready to be institutionalized, and nobody's changing my mind!" Bowler stood and shrugged into his heavy coat. "Well, I ain't gettin' anything done just jaw jackin' with you fellas, so I'm gonna go take a little stroll around this town and see what I can see."

"You do that, Bowler. I'll put this poster up with the others, and who knows, maybe someone will come forward with information." Brisco said as he wrote a note at the bottom. In big bold letters, it read, 'If seen, please contact Sheriff County, Deputy Reynolds or Lord Bowler IMMEDIATELY'. He held it up for Bowler's inspection. "Well, what do you think?"

Bowler glanced at it and his wide grin brightened his features. "I like it. Thanks, Brisco. I knew I could count on you for help."

"Not a problem, Bowler. Good luck."

Bowler nodded and left the office. Brisco followed him out not long after to tack the poster up on the wall. He caught sight of Dixie across the street leaving the mercantile with a small package. After hanging the poster, he trotted across the street to meet up with her.

"Hey, Dixie."

"Brisco. What are you doing out here? I thought for sure you and Cal would be huddled up around the stove today."

"No, it's quite toasty in there. Cal said he came by early to get the fire started, went home for awhile and came back, so it was really nice when I arrived." He fell into step with her as she walked toward the west end of the main street. "So, where are you going now?"

"I'm headed to Socrates' office. I wanted to discuss with him the flute situation."

"Ahh, I see." He grinned. "If he doesn't want to pay for it himself, we'll give a little toward the cause." Dixie glanced at him with a look of disbelief and he backpedaled on his earlier statements. "After all, she Lou been working hard at the school and helping you with chores. She doesn't have to, but she does. She deserves this."

"And you're dying to hear her play aren't you?" Dixie smiled. "So am I." She stopped in front of Socrates' storefront. "Shall we?"

"Let's." Brisco opened the door and ushered her inside. It was warm in Socrates' office, the evidence in a balmy waft of air that hit them before the door closed.

Socrates was nowhere to be seen, although two silhouettes moved behind the frosted glass in the back corner. The two men inside stood and shook hands, the door to the conference room opened, and the client emerged first. Brisco took one look at him and his eyes widened.

"Brisco, what's wrong," Dixie asked.

Drawing his weapon, Brisco held it up and aimed it at the man. "John Jacobs, you're under arrest for train robbery and causing the loss of a half dozen lives. Hands up, and come with me."

Socrates stared at his friend as if he'd gone loco. "Brisco, what are you doing? His name is John Barry!"  
"Really? Well then, Mr. Barry has an evil twin out there somewhere, and until I can be absolutely certain that this man is not him, he'll be in my custody."

With his hands raised, Jacobs stared at Brisco and his mouth twisted into a smile, but it was one teetering on annoyance. "It's quite alright, Socrates. I will go with the sheriff, and once this is all straightened out, we can continue our business." He turned his head to address his lawyer. "I've been through this before in the past twenty years, and I've learned that patience is the only way to cope." Jacobs took a step toward the door. "May I take my coat, Sheriff?"

"Of course." Brisco stepped back to let Jacobs grab his coat from the rack near the door. He didn't count on Lord Bowler looking in the window.

Bowler couldn't believe his eyes. There in Socrates' office stood Brisco and Dixie with Socrates and his quarry. And they were having a nice little conversation as the murdering thief put on his coat and shrugged into it in a casual manner. He couldn't comprehend why Brisco would cheat him out of his bounty by letting the man go on his way as if nothing had happened. No, he couldn't believe that of his best friend. He would want to find out the truth first before he let anyone go. That thought was the only thing stopping him from crashing through the plate glass window and snatching Jacobs before anyone could let him walk. Instead, he turned the knob and pushed the door in at the same time Brisco backed up to it, and when it opened the force shoved his friend into the wall.

Brisco yelled with pain as his nose made contact with the hard plaster surface. His watering eyes clamped shut and he reached blindly for his face.

"Brisco!" Dixie rushed to him with a handkerchief to catch the blood. She turned on Bowler. "What on earth has gotten into you?"

"I'm here to get my bounty."

"Oh brother," Socrates muttered, and he pulled on Jacobs' sleeve to get him to move away from the bounty hunter. "There's been a misunderstanding, Bowler. This is not who you think it is."

"I've been mistaken for that monster many a time, Mr. Bowler." His mouth turned up in a crooked smile. "And I know you've been on my trail. Your reputation precedes you, Sir." He buttoned his coat and said, "Socrates, if you don't mind, I need to take care of some other business."

"Yes. I will let you know when I'm prepared to leave, and we'll be on the next stage."

"Leave? Uh uh, he ain't goin' nowhere!" Bowler straightened himself up to his full height, which towered over everyone else in the room. "Brisco, I want this fella locked up until I make arrangements to get him out of town to the nearest federal Marshal's office."

"Oh, yes, why don't we do that," Jacobs said with a smirk. "Then you'll see that I'm not who you think I am and you'll just look like an even bigger buffoon than you already are."

Bowler growled at him and his hand balled into a fist. It only made Jacobs laugh.

"Go ahead, I dare you to throw a punch. I can have you put up on charges of assault." His smile faded and he took a step closer to Bowler. Looking up at him, the man was obviously not impressed with his height nor his bluster. "I've been over this before in other times and places. And I will survive again. How do you think I became such a wealthy man? I'll spell it out for you so you'll understand. L-a-w-s-u-i-t. I guarantee, Mr. Bowler, if you continue to harass me and threaten me with bodily harm, I will slap one on your sorry butt so fast, you won't know what hit you." Jacobs pulled on his lapels, stuck his hat on his head, and skirted around Bowler. At the door, he turned. "Good day, Socrates. Sheriff. And Miss..."

"County. Dixie County. Brisco's wife." The way she said it cooled the flicker in Jacobs' eyes.

"Ah, Mrs. County. I've heard of you. Spunky lady." He winked and opened the door, gently pushing Bowler into the wall where Brisco had hit minutes earlier. Then he was gone.

"Well, that was interesting." Dixie dabbed at the last of the blood underneath Brisco's nose. "Looks like it's stopped bleeding. How does it feel?"

"Terrible. Thanks a lot, Bowler! Now I lost him, and you lost your bounty! Congratulations!" Brisco stood up from the chair that Dixie forced him to sit in when the bleeding started. He got up a little too fast, but he quickly regained his footing.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, it was!"

"Boys, boys, boys!" Dixie got between them and pushed on their chests to separate them. She tsked. "What is the matter with you two? Why get so worked up about a criminal?" She gave Brisco a look to silence him. "I understand your desire to see justice done." She turned to Bowler. "And I understand your desire to make some coin, but come on, fellas. Don't ruin a friendship over one thief."

"And a murderer, don't forget that part, Miss Dixie." The bottled rage in Bowler's voice was thick as molasses as it leaked from his lips.

"Yes, although it would probably be considered manslaughter," Brisco corrected him.

"And what makes you say that?" Bowler leaned down into Brisco's space, circumnavigating around Dixie.

"It was never established that he intended to kill those people. It just happened." Brisco's voice softened. "It was an accident."

"No, I'll never believe that." The tall man straightened again and whirled toward the window. He placed his hands on his hips and stared through the pane at the people beginning to move about on the sidewalks and street. No one said a word, and the only sounds were the hiss of a lamp on Socrates' desk, the crunch of a piece of coal shifting in the pot belly stove, and the rasp of Bowler's labored breathing. Then he turned back to his friends with a sheen of tears in his eyes. "I will never believe that it was just an accident. Not when he killed my fiancee!"

Bowler turned for the door and almost ripped the knob from it as he barreled out into the cold, leaving everyone in his wake with their mouths agape.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

His boots thundered on the wood sidewalk as he stomped toward the hotel. He didn't even pay attention to the people who stepped back and gave him a wide berth. If Brisco thought he would take up his backhanded invitation to stay at his house, he had another think coming. He should have known something was wrong if he couldn't just come out and ask, instead of putting the responsibility on Dixie. Now Brisco was letting a murderer walk the streets. Bowler's eyes shifted around as he neared the hotel, searching for the man. He didn't care what anyone said. He would take him into custody, and as planned drop him off with the Feds and let them sort it out. Then he could get his bounty and move on to the next scum.

It had been a decade or more since he remembered Amelia. He kept himself so busy hunting down bad guys, he had no time to think about her. Sure, he'd been attracted to other women over the years, but she was the one who held his heart. Now that she was forefront in his thoughts again, instead of a living, beating heart in his chest, he felt as if there was an empty hole as cold as the air around him. She'd stolen it all over again.

Somewhere in his traveling pack he kept her tintype. He checked in and sent his horse to the stable next door, unpacked his sack, and at the very bottom he found it. Bowler sat on the bed and held his breath as he opened the cover that was supposed to protect it. He sucked in a deep gasp when he saw what time and exposure to the elements had done. Water seeped in between the glass and the plate. Mold grew in the corners, nearly obscuring the background.

Ameila's embroidered skirt, the one she'd been so proud of and intended to wear as her wedding dress, looked grotesque. He scanned up to her face. An eye peered out behind a curtain of smudged silver, making her look like a prisoner behind a door with only a small slit to see through. She was a prisoner, alright. Death had captured her, thanks to that murdering John Jacobs, and he would never be able to see her or touch her silky smooth skin again.

Seeing the remnant of Amelia underneath such ugliness startled Bowler and angered him. He should have taken better care of the tintype. He should have taken better care of her. If he'd had a home for her in San Francisco way back then, she might have been safely ensconced in it now with their children. Instead, she'd been dead and buried for two decades. He was alone, and he would never hear her voice again, because somewhere along the way he forgot the sound of it. Sadness ripped at what was left inside his chest. Anger bubbled up within. With a roar he threw the tintype against the wall, but the emotion quickly dissipated when he heard glass tinkling and he watched the frame hit the floor.

"What have I done," he whispered. Bowler lunged forward and picked up the frame. A sliver caught in his finger. He pulled it out and almost wished for a wound that would leave a scar so he would never forget. With a piece of folded paper from his pocket, he swept the shards into a pile and scooped them up, then tossed them into a waste basket near the wash stand. The tintype itself was still intact, but the glass protection was gone. Not that it mattered. With a sniffle, he placed a kiss on his fingers and touched the surface, then dropped the frame into the basket.

It took less than a minute for him to retrieve it. All he had left was a portion of her skirt and her eye, but as long as he had that, he would hold onto it. Maybe even after that. He couldn't bear to throw it away, because it would be as if he'd thrown her away and completely forgotten the only woman he would ever truly love.

When Bowler stormed out of Socrates' office, he didn't realize what he'd left behind. The three people looked at each other, unable to speak. Finally, Socrates found his voice. "Brisco. Did Bowler ever tell you about a fiancee?"

"No. And I thought I knew just about everything about him." He shook his head, feeling a deep sadness for his friend. Lord Bowler could be gruff and tough, but inside he had a heart of gold. He was a man of deep feelings, and for him to hide this away for so long, he must have been seriously in love with the woman. "I think I need to find him and talk to him. Dixie, you stay here with Soc and talk to him about that thing..."

"Thing?" Dixie's eyebrows rose. "Oh yes! That thing!"

Brisco left the office and walked east in the direction he knew Bowler had gone. As he neared the hotel, he thought that would be his friend's first stop. He didn't find Bowler's mount at the hitching post, but he saw the black mare prancing around the stockade next door. Brisco nodded. Bowler was intent on digging in for awhile.

He entered the hotel and went straight to the front desk. The balding man behind it grinned when he saw the sheriff.

"Sheriff Brisco! How are you today?"

"I'm doing well, Harry. Did Lord Bowler check in here?"

"He sure did, just a few minutes ago!" The man's expression turned to a furrowed brow. "I'm a little worried about him. He wasn't himself. Very sad."

"I know. Is he in his room right now?"

"Yes, he's in 220. Right upstairs." Harry pointed toward the staircase.

"Thanks." Brisco took the stairs two at a time. When Bowler got emotional, he usually scared people. For the innkeeper to say he looked sad, that worried him. Brisco found room 220 and knocked on the door. "Bowler? It's me, Brisco. Can I come in?"

"I ain't talkin' to you, Brisco. We got nothin' to discuss!"

He was afraid he'd say that. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"That don't help me catch Jacobs!"

Brisco sighed and removed his hat, ran his hand through his hair, and replied. "Bowler, contrary to what you might believe, this man is not the one you're looking for. Socrates vouched for him. You know Soc wouldn't lie, and if he had any suspicions, he'd look into them."

"Maybe he's been hoodwinked, like all of you."

Something thumped on the other side of the door, followed by another, and then silence. Brisco knocked again. "Bowler? Are you okay?"

"No, I ain't, Brisco. I just... I need some rest."

"Oh, okay. Please, come for dinner tonight? Lou is cooking something secret. Only Dixie knows what it is, but she promises that it'll be excellent." His lips turned up into a hope filled smile.

"I'll think about it."

"Six o'clock."

"I'll think about it."

His voice was more forceful, and Brisco knew better than to press it. Maybe if Bowler came to dinner, he would tell them about his fiancee, finally grieve over her loss, and let his friends help him through it. Until then, he had a town to monitor. Brisco returned to the office, checked in with Cal, and mounted Comet to check on the farms and ranches nearby. It would take him a good part of the day, so he took along something to snack on when the urge hit, although if he happened to visit anyone around lunch time, most likely he would be invited inside for a hot meal.

On his way out of Sunset Ridge heading west, Brisco passed the school yard. Louisa had the students outside building castles in the snow. He stopped to watch for a few moments and she caught him watching. She said something to one of the boys leading a group of six students of various ages, and he nodded. She moved out of the yard, closed the short picket gate behind her, and approached Comet. The horse nickered at her.

"Hey, Comet. Sorry, I don't have any carrots for you today."

He protested and nuzzled her coat pocket. Brisco pulled on the reins.

"Comet, that's not polite! Lou said she didn't have anything for you."

Louisa smiled up at the two. Her hand dove into her pocket and she came up with one carrot. "Oh Brisco, I can't help it, I'm a sucker for Comet and his antics. Here you go, boy. Enjoy!"

"What are the kids doing? Making snowmen? I didn't know there was such a subject in school."

"Not snowmen. Buildings. I'm teaching them the physics of construction. With many of their folks building cabins and homes out on the prairies, I figured it would be a good thing for them to learn. The textbook is so stuffy on the subject, I practically re-wrote it last Sunday afternoon and came up with this plan. I just had to wait for enough snow to pull it off." She turned when a shout came up from the yard.

A group of students created two towers with a bridge between them, but the bridge collapsed. Not to be defeated, the oldest student, a boy, instructed the others on how to rebuild it.

"It's fascinating how well they work together," Brisco said with amazement in his voice.

"It's part of the way I operate the classroom. The older ones are given responsibility to assist the younger ones." She turned back to Brisco with a light in her expression. "It's really cool when they start to see how their guidance helps the little kids understand things that they learned a long time ago. When they realize that they had a hand in that child learning something, it sets them on fire to learn more themselves."

"Has the superintendent seen this for himself yet?"

Louisa rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me! He's coming next week. I just received a telegram this morning." Her nose wrinkled. "Do you think I could make up some school holiday for that day?"

Brisco laughed. "I don't think he'd buy that."

"Yeah, you're right." She shrugged and let her hands fall to her sides. "I'm trying to be creative."

"Lou, don't be afraid of him. I think he's going to be blown away by what you're doing. Besides, it doesn't matter what he thinks. It's getting results, and those kids are happy as can be in your classroom. Just keep it up."

"I will. Thanks, Brisco." She shielded her eyes from the glare that her sunglasses wouldn't cut. "Hey, is something wrong with Lord Bowler? I saw him practically tear up the sidewalk going over to get his mount and head to the hotel."

"It's a long story. I'm hoping he'll come to dinner tonight and talk about it. I hope you don't mind that I invited him."

"Not at all. I'm looking forward to cooking."

"Any hint on what it is?"

"Nope." She grinned. "You'll just have to wait."

Brisco snapped his fingers. He was hoping for something to entice Bowler. Moving his fingers up to tip the edge of his hat, he said, "I better get to my rounds then. Six o'clock will be here before I know it."

"Be careful out there." Louisa waved and Brisco turned Comet away from the fence. She watched him leave, the straight line of his shoulders slightly bent. Whatever was bothering Bowler bothered Brisco as well.

"Miss Allen."

She turned to the stranger's voice. It was him, the man with dark hair and the equally dark eyes. He'd shaved off the mustache, and Louisa found herself disappointed. She unconsciously raised her gloved fingers up and touched the space above her upper lip.

John smiled at her reaction. "Yes, I shaved it off. Too many people thinking I'm someone else with it on."

"That's a shame, because I thought it looked pretty nice on you." Louisa's eyes widened. Had she really said that aloud? What was she thinking! Afraid of sounding like a mindless idiot, she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but amusement and appreciation for her statement. "I'm sorry, Sir. I shouldn't..."

"No, that's quite alright, Miss Allen."

"You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"John Barry, madame. We met the day before on the sidewalk when you fell. Remember?"

"I remember running into you and you being so kind to help me to my feet, but your name..."

He smiled in a charming fashion. "I don't believe I gave you my name. You ran off so quickly, I had no time!"

"I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry." She shook her head. "I'm kind of glad you didn't introduce yourself Mr. Barry, because I'm really great with faces, but terrible with names! Just ask anybody, except Socrates Poole. For some reason, I remembered his name from the get go." She stopped blathering and flushed. It was just the cold air, and she'd been in one place too long. "Well."

"Well." He smiled and extended a hand, hoping she would do the same and he could greet her properly.

Louisa stuck out her hand, gripped his and shook it with a sincere, firm grip, like a man's, to his surprise. "Very nice to meet you... again... Mr. Barry! But I must get back to my students. You have yourself a fantastic day, okay?"

John's smile widened at the way she spoke and shook his hand. Miss Louisa Allen was a unique woman indeed. He hadn't met anyone like her in a long time. "I will, Miss Allen. I hope that we run into each other again soon, although I hope that the landing won't be so hard for you."

Lou chuckled. "No doubt. I think my butt is still sore from that." She gave him a short wave and turned back to the yard.

John let out a long sigh. If he wasn't careful, Louisa Allen would give him a reason to stay in this little burg. But he had more pressing matters and things to do. He'd hoped to at least snag a dinner date with the progressive woman, but it was not meant to be. Maybe tomorrow he would try again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So, Dixie, what is this 'thing' that Brisco wanted you to talk to me about?" Socrates offered her a seat near the warm stove. "Would you care for some coffee?"

"Thank you." Once she was settled in with a cup of steaming brew, Dixie got down to business. "What did you think of Lou's piano playing last night?"

Socrates beamed, and in a dreamy voice, he answered. "It was heavenly. And I don't know what she was thinking. Louisa has a beautiful voice."

"I agree. She could have worked in the saloons and had those men eating out of her hands."

Dixie knew she said the wrong thing when Socrates' face took on a look of disapproval. "Dixie, Louisa has too much style and class to do such a thing. Besides, she does quite well teaching school." The look of love returned as he leaned his chin on his hand and stared off into space. "She does everything so well."

Dixie hid her smile behind the coffee cup. "Lou mentioned at breakfast this morning that she can play the flute as well." She then related the conversation she had with Brisco and how the two agreed that purchasing one for Lou for Christmas would be a wonderful idea. "I went to Hart's Mercantile and asked Reverend Hart which one Lou seemed to fancy."

"And?" Socrates leaned forward in his chair.

Dixie gave him a slip of paper. "This is the model and the price. It's almost twenty dollars."

"My goodness."

"Yes. I'm afraid that's a bit much for Brisco and me to accomplish. But I was thinking, maybe..."

It was rude to interrupt, but Socrates couldn't help himself. "Dixie, I would be so honored to buy this for Louisa. You and Brisco could perhaps purchase some sheet music for her."

"That's an excellent idea!"

He smiled, another idea forming in his head. "I have to make a trip to San Francisco in a few days with Mr. Barry. While I'm there, I can locate a music store and see if this instrument is available, and perhaps for a better price."

Dixie's eyes glittered with excitement. "Oh, Socrates, that is... well, I'm just... I'm sorry!" She dabbed at her eyes. "I get so emotional lately."

"I understand." He nodded and smiled. He wouldn't tell Dixie, but there were times late at night when he was alone and couldn't sleep because Louisa invaded his thoughts. He imagined what it would be like to have her in his arms in his cold, lonely bed. Her music played in his head the night before and lulled him to sleep, and he would give anything to have his personal concert whenever she was so inclined to give one to him.

There was only one thing keeping that from happening, and it was his own shyness. He knew after last night that he had to do something to win her over. Showing her how he felt was the answer. Buying her the flute would make his feelings unquestionable, and they could finally be a couple. After Dixie left his office with the plan firmly cemented in place, Socrates wracked his brains to recall where a music store was located in San Francisco. All it did was frustrate him. He had no choice but to wait until Mr. Barry was ready to go. He would finish his business with the man as soon as possible, buy the flute, and then return. Christmas was only a couple of weeks away, so time was of the essence.

After hearing Mr. Barry's background story and seeing the proof for himself, he had no doubt the matter would be resolved without too much trouble. Yet he wrestled with a secret that Mr. Barry asked him to keep. Was it right not to tell Brisco and Cal? Wouldn't they want to know? If they did, would it really make any difference, other than to bring about more questions and speculation that might never be resolved? If only Bowler had been able to capture Pete Hutter and find out from him exactly what he and his compatriots did with that time machine. Then a lot more things would make sense.

Socrates shook his head and returned to his desk. He had to prepare for his trip with Mr. Barry, and he would start by going to the mercantile to see if the catalog had a picture of the flute. Then he would know exactly what it looked like so he could easily find it.

Louisa hurried home as soon as school was done for the day. She would often stay behind to deal with discipline issues or grade papers, but thankfully there were no obstacles to prevent her from being at home in time to make supper. It all hinged on whether Dixie had the dough ready by the time she entered the house.

"Hi, Dixie!"

She entered the kitchen and found her friend cutting up some green peppers and onions. Tears leaked out of her eyes. "Did you forget to use my little trick? Cut off both ends first, peel and then slice. I haven't had a weepy eye from onions in years since I started doing that!"

"I don't know where my mind is today, Lou. It's like my brain is running a mile a minute but I can't focus on any one thing."

"I hear that happens to pregnant women." Louisa smiled. "Just use that as an excuse and you can get away with a lot." The women laughed.

Dixie swiped at another tear and joked. "I'll try it with the next onion."

Louisa looked over her shoulder. "I think we have enough for this meal. Did you crush the garlic?"

"Yes, and I put it in the sauce that's been cooking all day on the stove."

"Excellent." Louisa grinned. "I can hardly wait to see how this works out! I'm so glad Cal and, uh, what's her name are coming."

Dixie chuckled. "Sara."

"Yeah, Sara. Boy, I wish I had your excuse!" Louisa shook her head as she reached for a spoon to test the sauce. "Oh, benissimo!" Her exclamation caused Dixie to stare, and she smiled and blushed. "It means it's really good in Italian. My grandma was from Italy. Everything I know about cooking I pretty much learned from her."

"You are a multi-talented woman, aren't you?"

"Jack of all trades, master of none," Louisa replied with a smirk. "So I hope that everybody likes what I'm making, because I'm not nearly as good as Grammie." She sighed and put on her apron. "Okay, where's that dough?"

"In this bowl," Dixie indicated the large covered bowl on the kitchen table.

"Alright. Now it's time to put this all together!"

Cal and Sara arrived bundled up against the chilly night air, smiling and laughing at some private joke between them. Dixie led them into the parlor, announcing, "Dinner will be ready in a little while. Louisa promises that it will be unlike any of us have had before..." She turned toward Cal and added, "Except for you and Brisco." Her eyebrow arched.

Cal grinned. "It must be something from the future. I can hardly wait!"

Dixie's smile wiped off her face as she turned to Sara. "Did Cal tell you about where he's from?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sara replied with a perky voice. "I didn't believe him at first, but when we talked about his rescuing me from the Muldoons and all the things he and Brisco did, I came to realize that either Cal was quite progressive for the times, or he really was from another era."

"If my smart phone had been functional, I could have shown her the pictures I had on it. It didn't hurt that Kelly corroborated my story."

"Dixie?" Brisco stuck his head into the parlor. "Lou says everything is ready. It smells delicious!" He quickly disappeared and hurried to the dining room to check on how Lou was doing, not to mention take a peek at what she made. She wouldn't let him set one foot in the kitchen, so Brisco returned to the dining room and waited for the others.

Cal entered the room with Sara and Dixie, and his breath caught as he detected a robust scent coming from the kitchen. At each place setting, a salad plate sat with a healthy dose of the last of the greens from the garden, with tomatoes and other vegetables laid out on top.

Everyone sat, and Brisco glanced up at the clock. It was a few minutes after six, and Bowler had not arrived. He hoped that he would despite everything that happened that day. After saying grace they started in, talking and enjoying the meal, but everyone stole glances now and then at the empty place setting. Only Brisco, Dixie and Lou knew the identity of the missing guest. A knock sounded on the door at ten minutes after the hour. Brisco slipped his napkin off his leg and stood.

"Excuse me a moment." He hurried to the front door, looked through the cut glass panel, and saw Bowler there. He grinned and opened it. "Bowler! You made it!"

"Yeah." He stepped inside, wiped his boots on the mat, and took off his coat and hat while feeling Brisco's eyes locked on him. He turned with a contrite look on his face. "I'm sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you. You didn't know."

With an equally contrite expression, Brisco replied. "I'm sorry that I didn't know."

"Why? I never told you, because that was a part of me that... well, anyway, now you know. Can we just leave it be for now?"

"Sure. Come on, we just started."

Bowler entered the dining room and greeted everyone as if nothing had been amiss that day. Sara was the only one left out of the loop, and for her benefit, the others forgot about the harsh words and strife and enjoyed the meal. After the salad, Louisa asked Dixie, "Would you please help me with the next course?"

"Certainly. I can't wait to try this."

The two women soon reappeared with Louisa carrying two trays over her head. Dixie lay a few kitchen towels on the tablecloth, and Louisa placed the trays over them in the center of the table. Sara and Bowler stared at the flat, circular things covered with cheese.

A sob nearly broke out of Cal. "Pizza." He looked up at Louisa with tears in his eyes. "Lou, you made pizza. How?"

"It was easy. I had to make the sauce from scratch. I remembered my Grandma's recipe, so it was just a matter of finding everything, and, well, anyway, I hope you like it." She retreated to the kitchen and returned with a pitcher to refill the water glasses. Then she sat next to Bowler.

Cal slipped a triangular slice off one of the trays and set it on his plate. Sara watched as he debated how to eat it.

"It's pretty hot right now, so first piece, I'd eat it with a knife and fork," Louisa suggested.

He nodded and did what she said. Everyone waited while he took a bite, chewed and savored it before swallowing. A big grin crossed his face. "Lou, this is better than I remembered back home. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I had a craving for some pizza the other day, so I figured out how to make it here." She took a bite, and everyone followed.

"This is terrific, Lou!" Sara exclaimed. "I must get the recipe!"

"I'll write it down for you." Louisa gave her a genuine smile. Even though she still felt some jealousy and sorrow for the lost opportunity, she was happy that Cal found someone who loved him enough to be willing to try to make something like this. It wasn't easy having to start from scratch, but no doubt Cal would thank her for it. That thought brought a heat to her cheeks that she hid under the guise of wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Miss Louisa, this is different. But I like it," Bowler said to her and she detected a little of his old warmth coming back into his eyes.

"I'm glad, Bowler." She laid a hand on his arm when no one was looking and squeezed it. She wanted to say something to him about what she knew, but she thought better of it. She didn't know Bowler well enough to gauge how he would react.

After everyone stuffed themselves and there was nothing left, Louisa brought out a sponge cake with an almond filling. "I'm sorry, it's not very Italian, but it's one of my favorites."

Dixie and Sara took care of the dishes. Before retreating to slave away at the sink, Dixie spoke to Louisa. "I hope you're going to play again tonight."

"Of course." Louisa grinned.

"Good! Play loud so we can hear!"

"I'll do my best." She entered the parlor and found Cal on the love seat with his arm across the top, clearly saving the space for Sara. Brisco took his usual chair, and Bowler sat to his right on a settee. Conversation stopped and their eyes locked on her.

"I've been told by Dixie that I have to play loud tonight." Louisa said before sitting at the piano. "So, just give me a moment to warm up here, and I'll get started."

"Will you play some of the songs you played last night," Brisco asked with expectation in his tone.

"Maybe. We'll see where I end up."

The women joined the others in the parlor and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Louisa played some old songs that her friends from the present era would know, then she moved into the 20th century. She stuck to bright happy tunes to help soothe Bowler's troubled soul. By the end of the evening when Cal and Sara left and Dixie was trying to hide her yawns, Bowler went back to the hotel in a lighter mood.

"Thank you, Lou, for such a fine evening." He addressed her and kissed her hand, causing her to laugh.

"You're welcome, Bowler. I'm happy I could cheer you up."

All the guests were gone, and Louisa prepared to go upstairs to spend an hour on lessons before climbing into bed. Brisco stopped her with a hand on her elbow. She looked down at him from the step above.

"Yes?"

"Thanks, Lou, for making Bowler's day."  
"It was my pleasure. Good night, Brisco, Dixie." She picked up her skirts and trotted upstairs. Brisco and Dixie locked up the house and extinguished the lamps before climbing the stairs. The couple's footsteps faded away to their room. She shared a wall with them, and sometimes she heard things. Dixie must have known that was why she rearranged the furniture so her bed stood against the opposite wall, but she never said anything.

Louisa opened the geography book and stared at the map of Europe. Everything was quiet beyond the wall. Dixie must have been too tired. I have no business knowing what goes on in that room! She rose from her chair and moved to the window that looked out west toward the town. She could see the hotel rooms lit up even at this hour, and shadows moved in front of the windows. Which room is Socrates'? She forgot that he moved out when he opened his practice and lived upstairs. Was it a nice place? I wonder if he has everything he needs. Why am I even thinking about that? My mind is going places it shouldn't. I should be thinking about tomorrow's geography lesson!

With a huff at her ridiculousness, Louisa returned to the desk. She read the text and her eyes grew weary and drooped, and she woke much later with a crease on her cheek from the binding and an idea in her head. With an ecstatic smile, she went to work.

In the morning she would be tired, but if this lesson worked, she would consider it worth the sacrifice. She would never have dreamed of pursuing a teaching career in her time. The kids were too much like wild animals. Except for a couple who caused her trouble in the beginning, her class was well behaved and a joy to work with, and so she bent over backwards to make their experience with her a good one.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Bowler rubbed his hands together and a slow grin crossed his face. He ignored the fact that he missed Jacobs the day before. The man walked right past him and he didn't recognize him without the mustache. He must be getting old. Or he was blinded by his love and obsession with what he could never have again. Amelia came to him in his dreams, but every time he tried to see her, all she would reveal was her one brown eye. It drove him to distraction, that's what it was.

But today was his lucky day. Jacobs stood in front of Socrates' office waiting for him to lock up. His suitcase stood on the boardwalk. All Bowler would have to do is ride to the edge and grab the man. He was small and thin. Bowler could probably lift him up with one hand and lay him face down over the horse's back with little effort. It would be an uncomfortable ride to the Marshal's office, but Bowler didn't care about Jacobs' comfort. God knows he didn't care about Amelia's life.

The window of opportunity was closing. Socrates stood at the door. He closed it and put the key in the lock as Bowler stirred his mount into a gallop. Jacobs heard the thundering hooves and turned, his eyes widening as Bowler leaned over to his right with his arm out.

"What the..."

Bowler snagged Jacobs and threw him over his mount's back just as he planned. Only he didn't expect Brisco to come riding into town as he was heading out.

"Bowler, what the heck are you doing?" He turned Comet on a small radius and took off after him. "Put Mr. Barry down!"

"I ain't puttin' Jacobs down until I get to the Marshal's office, and that's final."

Brisco growled. Bowler could be so stubborn sometimes, but when called for, Brisco could fight obstinacy with obstinacy. He spurred Comet ahead just enough to allow him to grab the horse's bridle and pull him to a stop.

"Brisco!"

"Bowler! Knock it off! You're making a big mistake!"

"No, I think you are, lettin' this cretin off! He killed my Amelia, and five others. He has to pay for it."

"Mr. Bowler?"

Bowler looked down at his prisoner. "What?"

"Maybe we should all go back to Socrates' office and talk about this like civilized people?"

"I don't want to waste any more time!" He made a move to set his horse in motion, but Brisco still held onto the bridle.

"Come on, chill out, will ya? Just give me a few minutes, and I can prove who I am. Please." John's eyes met Bowler's. "I can see you're a passionate man, Mr. Bowler, but I'm sure you can be reasonable about this. You're worried about time. I guarantee if you take me to the Marshal's office, you'll be wasting a lot more of it, yours and mine."

Bowler tilted his head, analyzing the words the man used. Some of them were foreign and reminded him of things Louisa said when she first arrived from the future. He glanced at Brisco who nodded in agreement. Seeing he wouldn't get anywhere, Bowler scowled. "Alright. But this better be a damn good story, and true, or I might not wait for the Marshal. I might just string ya up myself!" He turned his horse as Brisco let go of the bridle, and his friend followed closely behind to make sure he didn't change his mind.

John slid off the horse with help from Bowler. Once on his feet, he straightened his clothing and looked up at the big man. Without a word he picked up his suitcase and walked up to Socrates. "We need to tell Mr. Bowler the truth, Socrates. It's the only way to clear this up, at least part of it."

Socrates nodded. He unlocked the office and let them inside. "We'll just have to make the train tomorrow, I guess."

"We can do that." John set his suitcase on the empty desk and opened it. He rooted around inside while Bowler and Brisco entered the office and Brisco indicated that Bowler should sit.

"I'd rather stand."

"I think you're going to want to sit," Socrates advised as he took his own chair.

John turned around and brought a small case to the desk. He opened it and pulled out a file folder. Looking at Bowler, he said, "I understand that you know about some local citizens who are from the future."

"Yeah, so what?" His eyes narrowed. "How do you know about them?"

"I know about them, because I also came here from the future. My name really is John Barry. When Pete Hutter and the Swill brothers were plucking outlaws from the past and transplanting them into the year 2012, an ancestor of mine, John Jacobs, was selected by them and taken to the future."

Bowler still looked at him askance. "So how'd you wind up here?"

"My great uncle John got himself into trouble and was arrested. In my dealings with law enforcement trying to get things straightened out, I learned how the time machine was used. Long story short, I discovered that there was another machine built by a student, and she was using it to come back here. Louisa Allen was that student, although I didn't know her name at the time. I just happened to hitch a ride on her vortex with my horse." He gave Bowler a sheepish smile. "Only something strange happened, and I arrived in a different place. Same time, but a different place. It took me a little while, but I found Sunset Ridge."

Bowler looked confused. "Why did you come here? Why pretend to be your uncle?"

"He was still in the future, so I was trying to be him only when it benefitted me." When Bowler wouldn't stop looking at him, John explained. "I want to claim the land that was unjustly taken away from my ancestors, which was what prompted my Uncle John to commit the train robbery twenty years ago."

"Maybe you better start at the top, John." Brisco encouraged.

"Yeah." John sat in a chair near Bowler and opened a small flat device, pushed a button, and while it came to life, he spoke. "In 1873, my uncle John Jacobs owed Dwight Sutton a large sum of money. Sutton wanted a quick payback, but my uncle was unable to do that. There was nothing in writing, so Sutton figured he could do whatever he wanted."

"Sutton is a wealthy man." Bowler knew who he was, and for some reason the man always rubbed him the wrong way. "Go on."

John cleared his throat. "Anyway, Uncle John lost the ranch and he sent his entire family back east with help from relatives. He said he would try to get the land back or he would return to them in six months. His solution was to rob the train. A shipment of US government gold was on it, and he would have been set if he could get his hands on some. But the train derailed and he barely wound up walking away with his life. He was broken, ruined, and lived his life on the run after they pinned the derailment on him."

"That's crazy."

John locked eyes with Bowler. "When a man loves something, whether it's his family or his land, he will do anything to save it."

Bowler understood that all to well. He was getting a headache, and he rubbed his forehead. "I don't believe this. It doesn't make any sense!"

"Mr. Bowler, I have the proof! Deeds that were passed down in my family's papers. I found them and brought them with me." John's eyes pleaded with Bowler's hard glare. "Please, I have more. I'm sure if you look it over you'll see the truth. Sutton dragged the Jacobs name through the mud and destroyed my uncle, so when the Swills came calling, he had nothing to lose. He went to the future with them."

"How can you prove that Jacobs had nothing to do with the derailment?"

"I have some information on my computer." John navigated through the folders on the computer and opened a file. "Here we go. Look at this. It's an article in a history magazine. I got it off the internet... uh, never mind about that. Anyway, this article was published in 1997 regarding the train robbery." He ran his finger down the screen until he came to the paragraph he sought. "See that? In some correspondence that historians found, they discovered that Sutton admitted to setting up the derailment." He turned to Bowler. "John Jacobs didn't kill those people. Sutton did."

"How do I know this ain't made up?"

"Why don't you see Sutton and ask him yourself? You can find him on my family's property about ten miles west of here." He collected the information in the folder. "Socrates and I have a train to catch to San Francisco. I'm presenting this evidence to a court to get my uncle's name cleared, have charges brought against Sutton, and reclaim the land."

"All the proof is there and on this thing."

"Yes. If you don't mind, I need to turn the computer off now to conserve the battery. I created a solar cell to recharge it, but with no access to the internet in this time, it's not been very useful." John smiled self-consciously. "I'm just glad I printed as much as I did back in the future."

"So, Bowler, what do you think," Brisco asked.

"You knew about this since when?" Bowler glared at him.

"Since this morning. Mr. Barry was afraid you were going to commit bodily harm on him, so he came to me and Cal and told us everything."

"So, let's say I believe this, now what?"

"Bowler, you and I will get Sutton and turn him in," Brisco replied.

John said, "In the meantime, Socrates and I will complete our mission and return here. I will try to locate as many of Uncle John's family as I can. Family lore says that they wound up in Ohio somewhere. Unfortunately, no one ever found any concrete information while doing genealogy searches."

"Genie whats?" Bowler's brow furrowed.

"Genealogy, Bowler. It's the study of one's family tree," Brisco enlightened him. "John, your ancestors must be alive, or you wouldn't be."

"As long as Uncle John's sister Margaret is alive, I'm okay."

"Oh dear. What if she would suddenly cease to exist before her time?" Socrates swallowed. "Would you simply disappear?"

"I hope not. I kind of like it here," John replied with a crooked smile.

Brisco looked down at Bowler, who seemed to still be having a hard time accepting everything. Finally, his friend looked up at him. "Brisco, be honest with me. Have you seen all the evidence?"

"Yes, I have, and I believe Mr. Barry. If you want justice, Bowler, you and I have to go after Sutton."

"Alright, then."

"I'd love to go with you guys if you can just wait a few more days," John said.

Bowler stood and put on his hat. "No way. You go to Frisco and get everything straightened out. That's what you can do. I'll make sure there's enough justice spread around for Amelia and your family." A stern look fell over his features. "I promise."

Suddenly, John found it hard to speak. "Thanks, Lord Bowler." He held out a hand, and while Bowler's grip was tentative, it was a handshake that held a vow he was sure to keep.

"Brisco, let's ride."

Brisco followed Bowler to the door and turned. "Hey, Soc, will you two be in town long, or are you still going to Hope Falls to try to catch the train?"

Socrates pulled out his pocket watch, and Brisco was surprised to see John push his sleeve back to look at his wrist watch. Bowler certainly didn't miss that move. His eyebrow cocked up.

"If we hurry, we could still make it," Socrates said to John. "Do you want to try?"

"I'm eager to get this done and take possession of the land." He quickly packed up his computer in his luggage and hoisted it off the desk. "Let's do this."

"We'll have to see if we can rent a buckboard, because we don't have much time. The stage has already gone through."

At Socrates' office door, John stepped up to Bowler. "Good luck, Mr. Bowler."

"Same to you, Mr. Barry."

John nodded, and he and Socrates turned toward the livery.

Brisco said to Bowler, "I better run back to the house and let Dixie know I'll be late."

"Alright. Then we're leaving. If this is all true, I have a feeling that Sutton is going to be difficult."

Dixie was disappointed that Brisco had to leave town, but at least he wasn't going far. She and Louisa ate alone, and Louisa went to her room to get ahead on her lessons again. Dixie retreated to hers and Brisco's room to read, but she couldn't keep her mind on the words. Restless, she went downstairs to play the piano in the dim light of the lamp that sat on the top. Every note sounded sour to her compared to the things that Louisa played. Still, she continued because it was the only way for her to work out her nervous energy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

John and Socrates made the train and they found themselves in San Francisco the next morning. Both men felt as if they had no time to waste, so Socrates contacted some of his legal connections to get them an audience with a judge. Any judge who had authority to grant ownership to John Barry would do. Neither of them expected to get an appointment late that morning with one of the most respected jurists in the state, the Honorable Roswell Greene. Within ten minutes of presenting his evidence, the gavel fell in favor of John and his family. A writ would be produced and ready in the afternoon, so the men had time to take care of other business.

Socrates walked with John along Market Street looking for a place to eat lunch. His eyes scanned the shop windows in a casual manner, not really thinking about what was in them. A display caught his eye, and he stopped and stared at it.

"What is it, Socrates?" John stopped a few steps ahead and returned to his side. "A music store." He smiled. "You said you were looking for one of these."

"Yes, but do they have this flute? And at what price?"

"You'll never know until you go inside." John's eyes flitted over the guitars, a cello, violin, French horn, and a few other instruments on display. He turned toward the door. "Let's go see what's in stock!"

Inside, the shop smelled like wood oil and paper. Racks of sheet music stood along the left wall, and the instruments were neatly arranged throughout the rest of the store. A woman dressed in the height of fashion stood behind the counter working on a ledger, but when she heard the bell tinkle to announce their arrival, she looked up and smiled.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen! Is there something that you're looking for, or just browsing?"

Socrates got a big grin on his face as he stepped forward and pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. "Yes. I'm looking for this model of flute."

The woman took the paper and read the number off it. "I see. This model is no longer being made, and we sold our last one months ago. However, there is another model that's replacing it. I can show you that one." She came around the counter and led them to a wall where several flutes lay on narrow shelves. She picked up a silver flute and presented it to Socrates. "Feel free to try it."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. This is a gift for a friend." He shook his head. "I don't know how to play."

"Well, you're in luck." She smiled sweetly. "I do." She tested the tuning and quickly launched into a popular tune. The sound was rich, smooth, and airy, and it seemed to take off into flight around them. She pulled the instrument away from her full lips, caught her breath, and said, "This is one of my favorites. It's not even the most expensive model." She set it back on the shelf and moved to a black flute with silver accents and keys. "This model is almost one hundred dollars. It's a concert flute, but I don't think it sounds nearly as nice." She demonstrated it, playing the same tune, then returned it to the shelf. "I suppose if your friend is playing in a concert hall..."

"No, the closest she'll most likely get is a parlor, I'm afraid," Socrates answered with a wide smile. "I believe the one she was interested in is silver."

"It's actually a nickel plating. If you want real silver, that will cost a pretty penny." She smiled at her wit. Seeing the serious expression on Socrates' face, she sobered. "I would highly recommend this model. It's priced between the two and has a very nice sound for use in a parlor." In the end Socrates decided to buy the one most like what Louisa wanted. The saleswoman convinced him to also purchase the case and cleaning supplies, and he left the shop with his billfold nearly twenty five dollars lighter.

Socrates couldn't have cared if he spent twenty five or twenty five hundred dollars. His hand grasped the small case like it was a lifeline and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

"You really like Louisa, don't you," John said as the men continued on their way to find a restaurant that wasn't too busy, because they were very hungry by this time.

It took Socrates a moment to answer, but not because he had to decide on his reply. His head was in the clouds with joy. "John, you have no idea. Louisa is the sweetest, most intelligent woman I've ever met. She has a passion for doing something that makes a difference. When she took on the teaching position, it was just something to do because single women don't have a lot of options. Then she really got into it, and now every day is a challenge for her and her students to grow."

"She does have something special about her," John agreed. "When I first ran into her, quite literally, I was stunned. It wasn't just her exterior beauty. She just glowed with life, I guess."

Socrates turned his head toward John. "Are you saying you like her too?"

"Well," John began with a growing smile. "If I asked her out and she said yes, I certainly wouldn't be disappointed."

"But you can't!" Socrates exclaimed with a frown. "She and I..."

"Yes?" John cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, we, um, I..." He gave up. His shoulders sagged and his features took on a tortured expression. "John, I don't just like Louisa. I love her. I just haven't found a really good way to show her yet." He glanced down at the instrument case, held it up and patted it. "I'm hoping this will do the trick."

"I see." John nodded. "Good luck, Soc. If she turns you down, don't be surprised if I come calling."

The older man surprised Socrates. He hadn't expected such interest. For the past month he'd been a big fish in a little pond and Socrates thought, no, he assumed, that he was Louisa's only prospect. It made him comfortable, and now, knowing that he had a possible rival, his gut clenched. If he had any hope of being with Louisa, he needed to stop dilly dallying around.

"Don't worry, Soc. You had first dibs on her. Just wanted to let you know that if she wasn't interested, I'll be taking my shot."

Socrates also didn't expect the man to play fair and let him have the first chance. "Thank you, John. I appreciate that."

"No problem." John clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's the least I could do after you helped me. I mean, what are friends for?"

While Socrates and John completed their mission, Bowler and Brisco rode the ten miles to the Sutton property. Correction, Jacobs' property. All the way Bowler ruminated over the evidence. No court in the state would allow Sutton to keep the land. Knowing that the man stole it, no matter what kind of debt was owed, and on top of it tampered with a train and caused the death of his fiancee, Bowler's anger simmered beneath his skin. Despite the cold temperatures, he sweated under his coat and wraps. Now and then Brisco glanced at him, reading the hard expression on his face as more than intense concentration. They'd been friends and partners a long time now. There was no hiding from the sheriff what was on his mind.

"Are you okay, Bowler?"

"I'm fine."

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to take you on this trip. If you let your emotions rule over your head, you might do something you'll regret."

Bowler's eyes locked on Brisco's, and the big man's were dark and stormy. "Don't worry about me, Brisco. I know what to do. I just hope he don't have reinforcements. We shoulda brought a posse."

Brisco stared at him in disbelief. "What? I've never heard that word come out of you before in that context. Why now?"

"This man is a cold, hard killer. You're a man with a wife and baby on the way. Don't need no unhappy ending here."

"I'm touched that you're worried about me, but don't. I know what I'm doing." He pushed his coat back and pulled on his shirttail to reveal something under his clothing. "When I went home, Dixie begged me to put this on."

"What is it?"

A sly smile set upon Brisco's lips. "Remember when we used those shovels as armor to prevent ourselves from being shot to death?"

"Yeah? That was the craziest idea you ever had, but I gotta say, it sure saved our lives!"

"Uh huh. Well, this is a twenty-first century version. It's called body armor, a bulletproof vest. Cal and I were wearing them when we came back here, and I've hung onto it but never really felt comfortable wearing it in this time."

"You got one of them for me?"

Brisco stopped Comet. "I brought Cal's along. He has a longer torso than me, but I don't know if it'll fit you." He stopped pulling it out from his saddlebag and looked up at Bowler with concern. "You're feeling that uneasy about this, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm thinkin' maybe we should wait until Socrates and Barry get back with somethin' legal in their hands, and then we go in with enough men to make a bulletproof vest unnecessary."

"You still don't believe John's story."

"I'm getting' there, but havin' something in writing would help me feel a whole lot better about it."

Brisco sighed. He shoved the vest back into the saddlebag. "Okay, fine. We're this far, let's just do some surveillance so we know what we're up against. Maybe we'll even knock on the door and say hello." Then Brisco did something that Bowler would never have expected. He unhooked his tin star and tucked it away in an obscure pocket in his coat.

"He may already know you're the sheriff."

"If not, I won't tell if you won't." The sly smile returned.

"Heh heh heh, that's one of the things I like about you, Brisco. You can be a real sneaky one." He made a kissing noise and his mount moved forward. Brisco set Comet into motion and the two rode side by side up to the small two-story home that sat on the property.

Wash hung on the line nearby, frozen stiff in the cold, and a barn stood off to the right with a small corral. Two horses stood in it munching on hay. To the left were wide open fields with cattle roaming. Whether any of the heads belonged to John's uncle or not was anyone's guess. A woman came out of the house. She was plump and healthy looking, her hair forced back into a severe bun which made her look tortured. Her brows knit at the sight of strangers and she took a step back.

"Dwight! We got company!"

"Outta my way, Dora!" Dwight pushed her like he would a heiffer that was in his way.

She stumbled, got her footing, and gave him an evil look before going to the lines to remove the clothing. Dwight had no clue that she shot daggers at him with her eyes.

He stood on his doorstep, pulled on his waistband and rearranged his suspenders as he looked up at the two men. He squinted as he examined them. "Don't know you two. You new around here?"

"Indeed. My name is... Roscoe Merriwether," Brisco responded and jerked a thumb at Bowler. "This here's my friend Dexter. Just Dexter."

"Mr. Merriwether, Dexter. What can I do for ya?"

"Could you tell us where John Jacobs might be?"

A laugh started from the depths of Dwight's belly and rolled up and out of his mouth to echo in the still air. When he composed himself, he said, "He shoulda been hangin' from a rope by now. He cheated me, robbed a train, and killed a bunch of people in the process. That man's no good. You're better off not knowin' him. Unless you're bounty hunters. If'n ya are, if I lead ya to him I want a cut of the bounty."

"We heard a whole different story about him," Roscoe said. "What would you do if he returned to his land?"

Dwight's eyes grew even colder than they already were and he took a step forward. "If that conniving slug comes back here, he can expect to get a belly full of lead. Me and the boys'll make sure of that."

"You have a crew to help defend this place? I don't see nobody." Dexter said as he looked around in a lazy manner. "I see you and your wife, that's it."

"They're in the bunkhouse behind the house. Ten of 'em. So don't worry, I've got the men and the firepower to protect this place."

"Well, good luck to you, then. Dexter, we need to keep moving."

"Why don't you fellas stay for supper," Dora said with a much more welcoming tone than her husband could ever produce. She ignored the icy glare he gave her and her smile was warm enough to combat it.

"If it's no trouble, ma'am." Roscoe answered and tipped his hat.

"No trouble at all. Robbie!"

A teen with tousled dark hair that matched his father's came running outside. "Yes, Ma?"

"Take these two gentlemen's mounts and feed them some oats. They're stayin' for supper."

"Yes, ma'am."

Roscoe and Dexter dismounted and the boy took the reins to lead them to the barn. "Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am." Roscoe slipped his hat off as he entered the house behind Dora and Dwight. Dexter brought up the rear, watching where the kid took the horses.

The meal was bland, but the intelligence gained was savory. By the time Brisco and Bowler set out for home, the two knew about Dwight's defenses and tactics for defeating anyone who tried to take away his land. He sincerely believed it was his and talked about it like he'd earned it with the sweat of his own brow. Mrs. Sutton knew differently, and all night she snuck glances at her husband. She was less than proud of him, very afraid, and if it came down to a firefight against the man and his forces, she would most likely bolt with her son. Sutton thought he had an impenetrable defense, but it would fall easily with the right offense.

"We need to go back to town and talk to Cal. He can put together some weapons that'll lower the body count considerably."

"You preparing to go in guns blazing, Brisco?"

"Do you see any other way? He is not going to give up without a fight. That much is for certain. The only other thing I can think of is to lure his hands away from the scene, and when he's alone, swoop in and take over." He shook his head. "Let's go talk to Cal. He's had years of experience dealing with people like Sutton."

"And we haven't?"

"Let's just say his tactics are a little more advanced to deal with the baddest of the bad. Sutton is one of them, so we need something he won't expect."

"It's pretty late. Cal is probably already in bed, and there ain't much we're gonna really be able to do until Socrates and Barry get back."

"John is not going to be happy that we didn't take care of things, but I think he'll be okay with it when I tell him we have something better in mind for taking Sutton."

In Sunset Ridge, Bowler said goodnight to Brisco and stopped at the livery to drop off his mount and return to the hotel. Brisco made his way home, put Comet in the barn for the night, brushed him down and gave him an extra green apple, and then he let himself in the house. It was dark and quiet. He went upstairs and found Dixie asleep, but when he got into bed she rolled to her side and put an arm around him.

"I'm glad you're home." She said in a soft voice.

"Nothing happened, at least not what we planned on. But now we're prepared to make a play for something bigger." He took Dixie into his arms. "If Bowler and I tried to take him on by ourselves, we would have been killed. We'll wait for the right time."

"There's always a right time for everything." She whispered the words as her lips closed in on his.

"Mmm, always." He kissed her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The train ride home involved many stops, and one required a longer break for loading letters and packages. The wagon transporting the mail was late, so the train was forced to linger a half hour longer than scheduled. Passengers were allowed to disembark, walk around the platform, and use the facilities. A small sandwich shop was set up in the corner of the depot, and Socrates decided to grab himself something to nibble on for the last leg of the trip. With the delay, the train would arrive in Hope Falls around six, and after the trip by horse, he and John might arrive in Sunset Ridge at seven or so. He would be quite famished at that point.

"Do you want anything, John?"

"Nah, I'm good. I picked up some snacks back in Frisco." He left Socrates to wander to a small newsstand, where he picked up a dime novel and leafed through it.

"Who's your friend? He's kind of cute, but not as much so as yourself."

Socrates had just finished paying for his sandwich. At the sound of the deep, sultry voice he blanched and froze for a moment. It couldn't be! He took a step back, turned, and nearly ran into her. His eyes blinked as he stared. "Rita. I mean, Miss Avnet. What are you doing here?" He tried to keep his voice down. "You should be in prison!"

She smiled and her hand reached out to touch his lapel. He stepped back, and her smile wavered a moment but she replied. "My sentence was commuted and I was sent to the Sacramento Home for Women."

"C-commuted?" Socrates knew that the home was for women who had mental issues. Without thinking, he took a step forward and got way too close for comfort as he gripped her elbow harshly. "Did you escape?"

Miss Avnet's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't expect this kind of treatment from the man she loved. She gave him a smile of appeasement and placed a soft hand on his where he clamped onto her. "Socrates, please. I know you love me and that you wouldn't want to hurt me."

"I may have liked you. I may have even had feelings for you, but not anymore. You almost killed my friends, and me. You betrayed me. How do you expect I should feel after that?"

"I'm sorry! I was misguided, and I've learned my lesson." She lowered her glasses and pulled them off her face, then looked into his eyes with her own exposed. "Please, Socrates. Give me another chance. I was wrong. I've learned my lesson. All I want now is to be with you, forever."

"Hey, Soc, they're boarding the train again. We've gotta scat."

Socrates turned, removed his hand from Miss Avnet, and said, "Oh, good! I'll be right there."

John looked past him at the attractive brown-haired woman looking at Socrates like she couldn't live another day without him. He smiled. "Ma'am. Are you a friend of Socrates?"

"Yes, I am! A very good friend." She turned her eyes on her love and put her glasses back on her face. "I've been looking everywhere for Socrates, and imagine my surprise when I found him here of all places."

By the breathy tone of her voice, John knew he was right, that this woman was crazy for the guy. It was all he could do to keep from grinning. With this woman after Socrates, he had free rein to pursue Miss Allen. Louisa. How he loved the way her name rolled through his brain! "Are you coming to Sunset Ridge? I'm sure you could sit with us on the train."

"That would be wonderful!"

"No. No it wouldn't," Socrates protested, but neither of them heard.

"Well then, let's get going. Miss..."

"Avnet. Rita Avnet." She held out her hand and he took it and kissed it. She blushed at his attention, and he couldn't resist taking it further, trying to make Socrates jealous so he would go for her instead of Louisa.

He took the hand and tucked it around his arm. "Let's go. Coming, Soc?"

"I'm coming," Socrates mumbled, his appetite long gone. He followed the couple to the train, boarded, and took the empty seat across the aisle from the two.

John and Rita spent the entire trip chatting, and it seemed as if his new friend was getting sucked into Rita's charms. On the one hand, he was happy because this left Louisa all to himself. But yet he couldn't very well let him fall into Rita's trap. He remembered Cal talking about women like this in his time. He called them stalkers. There were men stalkers too, but the women could be especially tenacious. Rita fit that description. He felt bad for his rival. The next time he had a moment with him alone, he would advise John not to fall for her. He had enough to worry about at the moment with trying to get his family's land from Dwight Sutton. He didn't need a crazy woman on his back.

The train pulled in to Hope Falls an hour later than scheduled, just as Socrates calculated. He hurried off the train and went to retrieve his luggage. John followed with Miss Avnet and picked his out of the rows stacked on the platform.

"Miss Avnet, don't you have any trunks," John asked.

"No. This was an unexpected trip."

"So you'll be continuing on then?" He looked disappointed.

"No, I think I'll stay in Sunset Ridge for awhile. I'm... well, to be honest with you, Jonathan, I'm looking for a fresh start. I want to get away from my troubles and make a new life somewhere else. Since I know Socrates, and now you, I thought it might be a good idea to put down roots in Sunset Ridge."

John brightened again. "Excellent idea, Miss Avnet. Well, Soc, we better get a buggy and head back to town."

"Please, call me Rita, Jonathan?"

"Certainly, Rita." He grinned at her, offered an arm, and threw Socrates a look. By the expression of misery on his face, John felt pretty secure in his supposition that his friend was thoroughly jealous. It was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud.

Socrates worried about John. He seemed to be attracted to Rita quite easily, and he feared what would happen if he was in too deep before he knew the truth. He would have to find a way to talk to him that night. It would be next to impossible because she shared the back seat of the buggy with him. The two spent a lot of time whispering and laughing back there, but he couldn't hear a word as he drove the team up front. He stopped at the livery to return the buggy and team, and the two headed for the hotel.

"Care to join us for supper, Socrates," John asked with an amused smile. Judging by the look on Socrates' face, his plan was working perfectly.

Socrates pasted on a fake smile and replied, "I'd love to. Thank you for asking."  
The trio took a table in the hotel dining room and everything was pleasant and civil. Rita laughed at John's jokes while she made eyes at Socrates. Socrates found it hard to eat, but he did it somehow. After the meal, Rita checked into a room and wished them a goodnight. John watched her ascend the stairs and let out a satisfied sigh.

"She's an amazing woman, Socrates. I don't know why you aren't attracted to her." He turned to his friend and saw danger in his dour expression. "What's wrong?"

"I implore you, John, do not get involved with that woman. Can we go to your room? I need to talk to you about her in private."

"Sure. Come on up."

Socrates told him everything, how he met Rita and hired her as his secretary. She was good, almost too good to be true, and in the end she was. Her obsession with him didn't help matters. His second encounter was even more hair-raising. She almost killed him that time.

"She said if she couldn't have me, no one could. Then she fired at me, several times." As he finished his narrative, Socrates noted that John seemed a lot less eager to ally himself with Miss Avnet. John sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers woven tightly, thumbs tapping together. Looking up at Socrates, he said, "She's one crazy chick, isn't she?"

"As a loon, John. Now you know why I wanted to warn you."

"Yes. This is not good. If she's taken to me... what am I going to do?" His entire plan lay smoldering at his feet, and all hope was gone. There was no way Socrates would be convinced to start up with Rita again. And now he might have unwittingly encouraged her to attach herself to him. How did he get himself into these misadventures?

"Let's hope she doesn't stalk you. Brisco is too busy with your land situation to get into this. Perhaps Cal can look into Miss Avnet's legal status. If she escaped from the women's home, she needs to go back, or be sent to a place more secure."

"Agreed. Until that happens, I think I should probably play it safe and be armed at all times."

Socrates nodded. "Indeed."

"Well... maybe if I made a move for Louisa, she might be discouraged."

"No! You are not going to endanger Louisa!" Socrates' eyes were wide and wild. "If you do..."

"What? What would you do?"

Socrates hesitated. He hung his head and mumbled. "Probably something unlawful."

"Really?" John shook his head. "Is she really worth sacrificing your career and possibly your freedom?"

His eyes moved up and locked on John's. Without hesitation, he answered. "Yes."

That one word hit him harder than a two-fisted beating. There was no doubt about Socrates' feelings for Louisa. As much as John liked her, he knew in that moment that if he tried to woo her, the prim and proper man who stood before him would fight even harder for her hand. True love was hard to conquer; he'd learned that a long time ago.

"Soc, I don't know about you, but I need to get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Certainly. Be careful and lock up. I would stick a chair under the door as well, just to be on the safe side." He gave John a crooked smile showing off his unease for his friend. "Good night."

Socrates left and John not only locked the door, he pushed the dresser in front of it to make it more difficult for Rita to barge in. Although, if she was obsessed enough, who knew what she was capable of doing. He'd never been afraid of a woman before. He was finding that his trip into the past was full of firsts. This was one of them.

He slipped under the covers and wrapped himself up in a cocoon. As he drifted off, John thought about Socrates and Louisa. Until he knew for sure that their feelings were reciprocated in both directions, he would try to win at least her attention. If he had to stay in this time, finding a woman closer to his age might be difficult. There were none in Sunset Ridge that he desired. Louisa was as good a choice as any, despite the age difference, because she had so many other good qualities. He fell asleep thinking about her and how sweet and vulnerable she looked that day she ran into him and fell on her bustle.

A scraping sound woke him in the middle of the night. He opened his eyes and everything was pitch black. He wasn't used to that. In his time, streetlights provided some light, but outside, the lanterns rarely shone more than a couple yards from the source. On the third floor, it was completely dark.

A cool breeze blew over his bed, and it was then that he realized someone was in the room. The window pane slid closed, pushed down by a shadowy figure near it. Heels clomped on the wooden floor. It's her! The pattern didn't sound like it came from boots. He heard her breathing, and then the right side of the mattress dipped as she knelt on it and crept over to him. He tried to move, but she pounced and landed atop him.

"Miss Avnet! Is that you?"

"Yes, Jonathan. It's me. And I know you want me like I want you."

Rita was stronger than he expected. Her hands pinned down his wrists, and as he fought to free himself she kissed him. For someone so crazy, she sure had nice lips, and she knew how to use them to lower his resistance. It took a fine sense of control to give in just enough, make her think he'd fallen for her advances. She removed the pressure from his wrists and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He let her. With one arm around her waist, he pulled the covers down so he could turn and roll her to her back.

She didn't expect to hear the click of a hammer being pulled back or feel the cold steel of a gun barrel against her head, and she froze. "What are you doing, Jonathan? I thought..."

"You thought wrong, Miss Avnet." He picked himself up off of her and backed away to light a lamp. He turned up the flame so he could see her. Rita's eyes blinked against the light, and she wore such a sense of betrayal on her face, he would have felt sorry for her if he didn't know she was such a psycho.

John reached into his pants pocket for his cell phone. Then he remembered that he didn't have one anymore, and even if he did, it wouldn't work. Rita made a move to get off the bed, but he aimed the gun at her again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He picked up a tie and approached the bed. "Now, roll over on your stomach and put your hands behind your back."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making a citizen's arrest." John answered calmly. He put the safety on and tucked the revolver into his pants, then bound her wrists with the tie. "You just stay there like a good girl, and once I get my boots on, you and I are going for a little stroll."

Rita thrashed in a vain attempt to get the tie loose. She kicked out with her feet, but only put the sheets in disarray. She cried out but the sound was lost in the pillow where she buried her face.

John quickly slipped into his boots and put on his coat. "Alright, Miss Avnet, upsy daisy."

"You're a horrible man! I don't know why I thought you were better than Socrates!" Her face collapsed into agony. "You were so sweet. Were you just toying with me?"

"I'm afraid I was." John shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We're going to the sheriff's office."

Thankfully no one was about in the lobby when he and Rita hit the bottom of the stairs. Only the night manager was on duty, and he barely glanced at them as the couple walked out into the night. He wasn't sure if Brisco or Cal would be at the office, but if necessary he would hike Miss Avnet over to the sheriff's house to have him take her into custody. As he neared the building, he was relieved to see a dim light shining through the window. Rita tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he only held on tighter.

"Nice try, honey. Sorry, but you'll be spending the night in the Iron Bar Hotel." He dragged her until her feet hit the step to the boardwalk, and from there he got her up and over the threshold.

Cal sat at his desk dozing when the door slammed. He woke with a start and had his revolver in his hand ready to shoot if necessary. He blinked and studied the newcomers. "Hey, John Barry, right?"

"Yes." John pulled Rita to stand with him beside the desk. "This is Miss Avnet."

"Avnet! Holy crap, that the crazy chick who liked Socrates!" Cal jumped out of his seat and stared at her. "What's she doing here?"

"Long story. Short story is, she tried to attack me."

"I didn't want to attack you! I wanted to... to love you." She looked up at him with doe eyes that failed to impress him.

"Oh great, she's after you now."

"I know. Can you lock her up and make sure she gets sent back to the Sacramento Home for Women?"

Cal whistled. He knew about that place. "You bet. Come along, Miss Avnet." Cal held the gun on her and led her to an empty cell. The cell at the end of the building held three inmates. Two slept, but the third saw the woman and made rude comments and catcalls. After locking her up and removing the binding, Cal turned on the guy in the cell.

"Knock if off, chucklehead, or you'll be taking a nice coma nap for awhile."

"Go ahead, I dare ya."

Cal put up a fist. "Don't tempt me." He turned on his heel and left the holding area.

John watched the exchange with interest. After the last threat, the prisoner settled down. "I don't envy you your job one bit, Deputy."

"It could be worse. I could be dealing with drunks in the twenty-first century." He grinned.

John laughed. "Very true. Or guys on drugs."

"Thankfully, that's pretty rare around here. There are some things to be said for this time, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely." John smiled. "Thanks, Cal."

"No problem. We'll arrange for someone from the home to pick her up, hopefully tomorrow. Hope the rest of your night is more restful."

"Thanks." John left the office and trudged back to the hotel. Now he could sleep soundly and not have a care in the world.

Little did he realize that someone had a bead on him in the shadows across the street. "I've got the perfect shot."

"No, I want him when he and his friends try to take over my land. We'll bide our time."

"Yes, Mr. Sutton." He was disappointed, but that's why the boss was the boss. He was smarter. He knew what he was doing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Brisco got the surprise of his life when he walked into the office the next morning. Cal camped out on the cot overnight but he was up and around and had a pot of coffee on the pot belly stove, the room was toasty warm, and even the ruffians the deputy arrested the night before were quiet and sleeping off their drunken spree. What shocked him was the sight of the woman in the cell closest to his desk. He'd only seen her once, but that was enough. Brisco would never forget Rita Avnet.

"Cal, do you know who that is?" Brisco asked as he approached the cell. He hadn't even bothered to take off his coat and hat. He just stared at her. "I thought you were in prison, Miss Avnet."

From where she lay on the cot, Rita answered, "I was, but they let me go."  
Brisco narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips. He found that hard to believe. "Really. Why would the authorities do that?"

"John Barry said she was put in a home in Sacramento," Cal explained standing beside Brisco. "She probably escaped." He shook his head and muttered. "Man, this is one of those times I wish I had a phone so I could get the scoop right from them."

"Has she been unruly?"

Cal's mouth tipped up. "Ask John. She tried to attack him in his sleep."

Brisco's eyes turned to Cal. "Attack him? How?"

He tried to keep the amusement off his face but failed. "I got the impression she's got a thing for him."

Brisco winced. "Ohh. Poor guy."

"Yeah."

Rita got up from the cot and stomped to the bars with such fury, the two men stepped back. She grasped the bars and spoke. "When are you going to let me out of here? I've done nothing wrong! I'm being falsely imprisoned!"

"I highly doubt that, Rita." Brisco turned back to his desk. "Cal, I'll go over to the telegraph office and have a wire sent to Sacramento."

"Already done. I paid a kid a dime to go over and send the message."

"Good. Hopefully we'll hear back from them soon."

During his mid-morning walk around the main street, Brisco stopped in the office.

"Morning, Sheriff!"

"Morning, Fred. Did a boy bring in a message to send to the Sacramento Women's Home earlier this morning?"

"Sure did! I just got an answer back and was going to send someone to deliver it."

"Well, I'll save you the trouble." He smiled. He accepted the piece of paper and read it, and he nodded. "Good. We won't have to keep her around too long."

"Crazy woman in your jail, Sheriff County?"

"Yeah. She should be gone tomorrow, though. Thank you kindly, Fred." Brisco gave him a salute and left the office. He walked west to Socrates' office to see if he knew about the unwelcome visitor to Sunset Ridge.

Socrates was alone looking over some paperwork and writing notes on a pad when the bell jingled and announced Brisco's arrival. A cold finger of air blew in with him, and Brisco closed the door quickly.

He shivered and appreciated the warmth inside. "Hey, Soc. How was the trip to San Francisco?"

Socrates looked up from his work and smiled. "Brisco, have a seat. Grab some coffee and warm up."

"Thanks." Brisco settled into the chair across from Socrates with a cup steaming in his hands. "You look pretty chipper. It must have gone well."

"It did. We have a writ from Justice Greene himself, demanding that Sutton turn over the land to John Barry immediately."

"Well, that's great, but what if he resists?"

"That's what I was hoping you and Cal would take care of."

"We're working on that. Bowler and I did a recon yesterday and found out that he's got ten guys armed and ready to defend the property. We'll need more support if we want to get him off."

"Can you call in cavalry?"

"If necessary. Cal is trying to come up with a plan that would require only a few townspeople in a posse." Brisco took a sip of his coffee. "Did you know that Rita Avnet is in our jail right now? There are people coming from Sacramento to pick her up tomorrow."

"Oh, thank God!"

"You knew she was here?" Brisco leaned forward in his seat. "Soc, you should have said something!"

"It was late when we arrived here. She came on the train with us."  
"What?"

Socrates quickly explained the events of the night before. "John had no idea that she could be dangerous. I don't know what he was doing, if he was truly attracted to her or if he was hoping to make me jealous so he could pursue Louisa..." Socrates sighed heavily. "I just don't know what was going through his mind. I warned him that he didn't want to get involved with her."

"I understand she gave him a good fight," Brisco said with a smile. "I think he learned his lesson."

"Good. I hope I never see that woman again."

"No doubt John feels the same." Brisco chuckled. He looked up at his friend and could tell that something else was on his mind. "While you were in San Francisco, did you have time to go flute shopping?"

A bright grin exploded onto Socrates' face as he reached for the bottom drawer on his desk. He pulled out the case, snapped it open, and turned it so Brisco could see. The nickel plating shone like the sun and the keys glinted in the overhead lamplight.

"Wow. That's quite a flute." Brisco reached out to touch it. "Louisa's really going to love it."

"I know. I can't wait until Christmas to give it to her."

"But you should." Brisco's eyes glinted with glee to be part of the conspiracy. "Dixie went to the store yesterday and bought a couple pieces of sheet music and some blank staff paper. We thought maybe Lou could write down some of those songs she likes from the future and then have them on paper forever."

"That's a good idea, Brisco!" Socrates beamed. Then he sighed, closed up the case, and returned it to the drawer. "How many days until Christmas?"

Brisco laughed as he glanced up at the calendar on the wall perpendicular to Socrates' desk. "Twelve, I believe."

Socrates groaned. "Maybe if I throw myself into my work, time will pass quicker." He ran a hand through his thinning hair. "I can't wait to give it to her, but then I fear that... well, maybe she doesn't feel the same way I do. Or what if this isn't enough to tell her that I love her?" He groaned. "I don't even want to think about how she feels toward John Barry!"

"I know, it's complicated. But there are times you have to say it, too, you know. Think about it, Soc. Think about all the things you've done for her already, but you never said how you felt. What's the impression she's getting?" He tilted his head as he asked, "What impression do you get from her?"

Thinking for a few moments, Socrates played with the pen on his blotter. "I think she cares for me, but I don't know if she loves me. Maybe she does." He chewed on a thumbnail. "I don't know!"

"Well then, it seems pretty obvious to me that after you present that flute to her, if she doesn't say something that leads you to believe that she loves you, maybe it's time you said it first." He smiled, thinking about the time he told Dixie for the first time that he loved her, and she blurted it out in reply. "If she feels the same way, she'll say so immediately, I'm certain of it. If she doesn't..." Brisco shook his head vigorously and held up a hand. "No, don't even think about that. I believe she'll say she loves you too."

"Has she said anything at home?"

"Not to me, but maybe she told Dixie. If so, Dixie's not saying a word. I think girls like to keep that stuff to themselves, unless they're on some sort of campaign to get a guy to like them." He grinned. "And if that's the case, I think Lou probably already knows how you feel. She's just waiting for you to make the first move. The grand gesture with the gift is a perfect time to do it."

"Thanks, Brisco. I know I need to do it soon, because I'm afraid that John Barry also has eyes for Louisa. And I believe that he was trying to use Rita to distract me, hoping I would resume a relationship with her so he would be free to win Louisa's heart."

"Well, there you go. You have competition, Soc." Brisco leaned forward, set his cup on the edge of the desk, and rose from his seat to tower over him. "Don't blow this."

Socrates shook his head. "You can be sure, I intend to let Louisa know how I feel. No more guessing games."

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

Brisco stood, plucked his hat off the tree near the door and said, "I better get back to my patrol. I'll talk to you later." He set the hat on his head, deep in thought. "Soc, have you ever gone to the Saturday socials at the church?"

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"Lou goes quite often." Brisco winked and opened the door, pushed himself out into the cold, and closed it firmly behind him. The bell faded away, and Socrates was alone again.

He'd dined with Louisa on several occasions. Now and then he bought her some of her favorite candy at the mercantile, and once he even surprised her with flowers. She adored everything. He knew that. But there was one thing that he hadn't done yet, and that was dance with her. There was another social that Saturday. Perhaps she would be willing to accompany him and take a whirl in his arms. Socrates was a fine dancer. As a child, he and his sister Iphigenia were taught the finer points of all the popular dances and practiced with each other to their parents' delight. There was no such thing as a phonograph back then, so the brother and sister learned the music and the timing and hummed or sang it out as they danced. It had been awhile, but he had no doubt he could dust off his skills and impress Miss Allen with his prowess on the dance floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Louisa had a headache and her throat was scratchy. She knew that a cold was coming on. Good thing it was Friday, and she would have time to rest and take plenty of zinc to ward it off. She would stop at the mercantile on the way home to see if she could get some in a palatable form.

"Louisa." Socrates waited at his door to greet her with a warm smile.

She looked up from her stack of books and somehow his smile made her forget for a moment how lousy she felt. She returned the smile and said, "Socrates. I didn't expect to see you out of your office already. It's still early."

"I don't have anything pressing until Monday, so I decided I would leave now." He cleared his throat. "Would you mind, Louisa, if I walked you home?"

"I'd love it. I just have to stop at the merc first."

"The merc?" A light came on in his eyes. "Ah, I get it. I've never heard anyone refer to it that way before." He checked his door to make sure it was locked and then gave her his arm. She had the books tucked in her left arm, so he made a motion and she handed them to him with an amused smile on her face. It warmed him down to his toes.

Louisa tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and walked with him to the mercantile. From across the street, she recognized John Barry watching them, standing still on the sidewalk and creating an obstacle. But he didn't care. Neither did she. He was cute and charming, but he hadn't asked her out yet or anything. Besides, if she had been thinking that Socrates was a little too old for her, John certainly was old enough to be her father. Socrates stopped her musing by halting their progress. She looked up and noticed that he led her to the mercantile while she gathered wool.

"You wanted to get something at the merc, remember?" He grinned, using her term.

"Yes." Her nose tickled, and she held back a sneeze. She turned her head just in time. "Achoo! Oh my."

"Are you getting a cold?"

"I think so. That's why I wanted to take a detour in here." She smiled at Socrates when he opened the door and let her pass. She slipped through and stared into his eyes. What she saw there stunned her. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, or maybe that was just her wish to kiss him. When it came to Socrates, she was so confused lately!

Louisa forgot about him for the moment and stepped up to the counter where Sara finished making a sale. She turned her attention to Louisa and grinned. "Hi, Lou! What can I get for you today?"

"Hi, Sara. Do you have any zinc tablets?"

"Zinc tablets?" Her brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't believe we have anything but powders. Just a moment and I'll look." She moved to a cabinet that held various medicines, and her fingers skimmed over the labels. Everything was in alphabetical order. "Oh, we only have the powder."

"That's fine. I'll take a bottle and check with the doc to see how much I can take. I'm getting a cold, and I've always had good luck getting rid of it before it starts with a few doses of zinc."

"Really? I'll have to keep that in mind. Thank you! Will there be anything else?"

Louisa took a glance around the mercantile. The Harts had really outdone themselves turning the store into a Christmas extravaganza. The entire mercantile was decorated with evergreen boughs, trees, bows and ornaments. Even staples like canned peas were displayed in such a way to take advantage of the holiday spirit. "No, I think I'm all set." She paid for the medicine and found Socrates still there, smiling, holding a red bag in his left hand. "What's that?"

"Peppermints, for you. Put these on my account please, Sara?"

"Oh, that's really sweet of you Socrates, but I'm more of a wintergreen person." She winced inside as she said it. She should have been more gracious and just accepted the gift, then secretly shared it with Brisco and Dixie. "I'm sorry."

"No, I should have asked."

"We have those in wintergreen," Sara butted in with a smile. "The green bags." She snagged the packet from Socrates' hand and walked around the counter to the candy display. A few moments later she returned with a green bag. "I'll put that on your account instead, Mr. Poole." Her smile turned into a grin, and she winked at Louisa while Socrates' attention was on the bag.

"Thank you, Sara." He handed the bag to Louisa and spoke to her. "I hope you enjoy them."

"I will. As a matter of fact, I'm going to spoil my supper by having one now." She opened it, pulled out a piece and looked up at Socrates with an impish smile. She raised the piece of candy to his lips as she asked, "Do you like wintergreen, Socrates?"

"I do."

"Good. Share them with me, please."

The moment was so intimate, Socrates blushed as he opened his mouth and she popped it in with her fingers barely touching his lips. She used the same fingers to take one for herself. It was so brazen, and right in front of Sara Reynolds! But Louisa had no idea how she rocked him to the core as she smiled, took his arm, and said good day to Sara. He walked her out of the store and continued silently toward Brisco's house. He shivered, but it wasn't because of the cold.

Louisa sensed that she'd made a bad move in the mercantile. She was just so impressed that he wanted to please her, that she couldn't stop herself from offering up the candy the way she did. It was shameless, really. Had she gotten that desperate to get a reaction out of him that she was willing to do something risque to get through to his thick skull? Sara helped, and she couldn't help but love the girl for being so astute. She felt Socrates tremble, but she knew it wasn't that cold outside. Her hand squeezed his forearm a little tighter.

"Socrates, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you back there in the mercantile."

"You didn't embarrass me."

She looked up at his red cheeks and knew differently. "I did, and I didn't mean to." Their feet stepped off the end of the boardwalk. From there going forward, the journey was taken over the hard packed dirt road. Louisa's foot slipped and she stiffened. Socrates pulled his arm away from her hand, wrapped it around her waist, and kept her upright.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just slipped a little." She took the opportunity to turn in his arm, look up at him, and smile as she said, "Thanks." Her hand she rested in a light touch on his coat lapel. "You're the sweetest man I've ever met." She really wanted to kiss him right then and there, but instead she patted his lapel and turned to continue the trek back to the house.

Socrates felt the warmth of her hand through the gloves as she slipped her hand into to his. Worried about what someone else might think, he realized that her skirt flapped against their hands, hiding the contact from prying eyes. Not that anyone traveling into town noticed. She said hello and greeted some by name as they passed, while he remained dumbstruck.

"Oh, shoot!" She stopped and stomped a foot on the hard ground.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I forgot to stop at the Doc's and find out how much of this zinc I can take at one time!" Louisa dropped his hand, turned on her heel, and strode to the doctor's office on the other side of the street.

Socrates, still carrying her books, had no choice but to follow.

Doctor Davis was seeing a patient at one of the ranches, but Kelly was in the office. "Hey, Lou! Haven't seen you in awhile."

"Same here, Kelly. I take it you and the doc have been busy." She gave her a sly smile, and Kelly blushed.

"A lot of people are getting sick with the change in weather. But if you meant besides that, well..."

"People talk, Kel."

She flapped a hand. "Oh yeah, that stupid bet. Harland wants to propose, but he won't until after the holidays just because of those idiots! Sheesh!"

Louisa chuckled. "The nineteenth century sure is whacked, isn't it."

"Yes, it is. But I like it here." A satisfied smile settled on Kelly's lips. "The way Cal talked about it, I thought he was just being romantic or something. I really do like the slower pace. Not so stressful, you know? And I did manage to find the perfect man." She added with a smirk, "Although, there are some times I wish I had my cable TV or the internet!" The women laughed.

"I know what you mean, although I've been too busy with school and stuff to miss it."

"Right. I heard you've got a passel of men after you and that you've practically had to beat them off with a stick."

"Ha! Yeah, right." She glanced at Socrates and noted the blush returned to his cheeks. It was subtle, and maybe Kelly wouldn't notice it, but she'd spent enough time with him to know when he was uncomfortable. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about the passel of men." She smirked at the word. "I need to know how much of this I should take to get rid of an oncoming cold." She held up the bottle of powdered zinc.

"Oh, you want to do the zinc tablet treatment without the tablets, huh? Give me a minute and I can make this into pills for you." She pulled out a press from a cabinet. She found the right size template, placed it in the machine, and dumped the powder into it. She turned the crank, and little pills dropped into a tray at the bottom. "Isn't this awesome? Harland came up with this thing." When she was done, she dropped them back into the bottle. "There you go, all done. One of those four times a day and by Monday you'll probably be all good again."

"Great! Thanks, Kelly!"

"You're welcome, Lou. Hey, don't be a stranger. One of these days we should do lunch and talk guys and stuff."

"Maybe next weekend?"

"Sounds good. Take care!"

Louisa and Socrates continued on their way to the house. The two entered the foyer and Louisa took her books from Socrates. "Thank you for suffering through my errands, and carrying these books home for me." She smiled sweetly.

"I like spending time with you. It was my pleasure."

"I like spending time with you, too. So I hope you'll stay for dinner. There's always plenty for guests." Her smile widened. "And I'll be playing again afterwards. Don't wanna miss that, do you?"

"No, I certainly don't. Thank you for inviting me." He couldn't get his coat and outerwear off fast enough. She removed hers, gave him a meaningful glance, and turned toward the parlor. It was empty. "If you'd like you can wait in here. Or, you can join us in the kitchen. It's probably a lot warmer in there."

Socrates agreed. He sat at the kitchen table and wound up helping peel potatoes for the women while they prepared the meal. Brisco came in shortly before it was served and saw the scene. "Socrates, you look so domestic."

Socrates laughed. "Somehow I was charmed into it." He glanced at Louisa. It was her turn to blush.

"Brisco, go get cleaned up. Supper is almost ready," Dixie ordered him as she stirred a pot of gravy.

She hadn't counted on Socrates coming to dinner, and the kitchen table was already set, so Dixie added one more place setting and he dined with them in the kitchen. He didn't seem to mind at all, since the entire meal his main attention was focused on Louisa. It was sweet. She hoped that soon he would finally open up to her. Brisco told Dixie about the flute, and that was all well and good, but she was of the mind that he should say something first before it came to the gift. However, it was none of her business. Although, over time as Louisa confided in her, she couldn't help but give the younger woman a few pointers in the art of Victorian era romance and wooing. Seeing Louisa 'put the moves on him' as she called it, complimenting and subtly flirting with him, made Dixie feel like a mother hen watching her chick wander the yard for the first time. The girl had it down, and if Socrates didn't say something tonight, he was a fool.

Louisa played for them again until Dixie was tired and Brisco took her upstairs to bed. "You two behave now," he admonished with a wink on the way up the stairs. Even he noticed the sparks flying between the two at dinner.

"Oh, Brisco. Just get the little mama upstairs for her rest." Louisa sneezed.

"That would be good advice for you too," he said, and he took the stairs with Dixie.

Socrates stood at the foot of the staircase near the foyer doors. When they were alone, he took her hands in his and said, "I had a wonderful time, Louisa, but I should go."

"I had a great time." Nervous, she swung their hands in the space between them. "Will you be going to the social tomorrow night?"

He hadn't planned on it unless she was, so he asked, "Are you?"

"I don't know. I've been to a few, but they're kind of boring if I go alone." He stared at her and she elaborated. "Sure, there are plenty of guys who want to dance, but then they're off with someone else and there's no time for a connection. Just once I'd like to dance with someone who I have feelings for." Her eyes were warm and inviting as she looked up at him. "Don't you agree?"

"Wholeheartedly. Then shall I come by early, and we could go to dinner first?"

"I thought you'd never ask. You've got yourself a date!" She got brave and kissed his cheek before he turned away. "Good night."

"Good night." He stumbled over the syllables.

After Socrates left the house, Louisa closed the double doors and locked them as she sighed in pleasure. From above, Brisco and Dixie heard every word. They smiled at each other and continued to the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Saturday morning came alive with a storm brewing in the west. Large, puffy, lead colored clouds hung over the horizon as Brisco rode to the office. Today was the day that Sutton would either turn over the land to John Barry, or pay the penalty. Either way, he would be spending the rest of the day behind bars until the Marshal could come and get him. A flash of dark and light blue came riding in from the west on a black mare. Bowler looked angry, and with good reason. He wanted Sutton to pay for his loss, and every day since they learned that Sutton was responsible for Amelia's death, he wanted blood. He would have to settle for a bounty.

"Brisco. I'm ready."

"I see that." Brisco inspected his friend's saddle and noted an extra rifle peeked out of a carrier attached to it. In addition to his pistol and the shotgun he always strapped to his back, Bowler was loaded for a fight. He silently thanked God that in this era he had no access to automatic rifles or guns. He pictured Bowler with an AK47, and shook his head.

"Something wrong, Brisco?"

"No, just thinking, that's all. Come on, let's go inside and coordinate with Cal." He tied Comet to the rail where two other mounts waited. Bowler tied his horse to the other rail opposite the entrance.

"Brisco, Bowler," Cal greeted them. He inclined his head toward a man dressed in a cavalry uniform. "This is Major Mickelson. Major, Sheriff Brisco County Jr. and Lord Bowler, bounty hunter."

"Gentlemen," Major Mickelson responded with a nod. "My men are all down at the hotel getting a good hot meal, but as soon as they assemble, we'll be assisting you with your operation today."

Brisco cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Cal. "You said we had backup, but I wasn't expecting military help."

"I did some checking on this guy, Brisco. He's dangerous, and I didn't want to put an untrained posse against this guy and his ragtag team. I mean, who knows what he's got over there? I do. Three of his men were sharpshooters in the Army, two more of them have rap sheets, and the others are mercenaries. Bad dudes all around."

"Great."

"That's what I thought. So we need some experienced men of our own." He gave the floor to Major Mickelson. "Sir? Care to let Brisco and Bowler in on the plan?"

"Of course." By the time he went over everything with the men, his platoon returned from the hotel ready to go.

The cloud cover was an advantage, because the uniforms blended well against it and made it harder for anyone to see the cavalry. Just outside the property line, the riders split up and circled the house and yard, spreading out to find trees and other vegetation to hide behind. Major Mickelson rode up to the door with Brisco and Cal. The three dismounted and approached the door as Brisco pulled out the writ.

A woman answered the door. "Yes?" She recognized Brisco and smiled. "Mr. Merriwether! How nice to see you again!"

"I'm sorry, that's not my real name. I'm Sheriff Brisco County Jr."

"Sheriff County?" Her eyes grew wide. "You must leave, now! If Dwight finds you here and he knows who you really are..."

Brisco unfolded the writ and held it up in the space between them. "I'm afraid that you and Mr. Sutton are the ones who must leave. This is a writ from the high court in San Francisco, returning the rightful ownership of the land to John Barry, a relative of the original owners."

She gasped and a hand flew to her throat. "Oh no. This can't be! Dwight took the land because the Jacobs family didn't pay the loan. He took possession fair and square!"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am."

Her eyes grew wide as she looked over Brisco's shoulder. He saw the fear in her eyes and turned to find Sutton standing behind him with a rifle trained on his back.

"Twitch. Go ahead, Sheriff, twitch and I'll shoot ya where ya stand. This is my land, and you're all trespassing."

"This says otherwise." Brisco waved the writ.

Sutton ripped it out of his hand, dropped it to the ground, and stomped on it. "It's not worth the paper it's printed on."

"You know we have copies of that," Cal chimed in. He found another rifle aimed at himself.

The three turned and discovered Sutton and his entire crew lined up in an arc surrounding them. Mrs. Sutton retreated into the house and slammed the door.

"Mr. Sutton, do you realize that it's a federal offense to pull a gun on an officer of the United States government?" Major Mickelson addressed him.

"So, who's gonna tell if I kill ya?"

The silence was broken by the sound of a hammer being pulled back. "Don't think that's gonna happen, not if we can help it."

Sutton turned to see the man he knew as Dexter standing before him with guns in both hands trained at him. He scoffed. Then he saw the band of blue behind Dexter with weapons on his men, and the smile wiped off his face.

"This has got to be some sort of joke."

"Afraid not, Sutton." Brisco stood beside him. "Your wife and son and your men have got until sundown to clear out. If they're still here in the morning, don't think we'll let it being the Lord's day stop us from doing our job." He picked up the writ, smoothed it out, and stuck it in his hand. "That's your copy."

Sutton crumpled it. "You think I'm going to adhere to this?"

"I do. And all these men are going to stick around to make certain of it. Another platoon is on its way, so don't think you can try anything."

"You'll regret you did this, Sheriff."

"No, but you will." The corner of his mouth tipped up. "Thanks to a little work by my deputy, the Jacobs family has been located and is on its way back here to take possession of the land. Granted, it'll take them awhile, but I sure wouldn't want to be your family when they come back and find them here."

"This is where it gets good," Cal said with a grin. He held out a pair of cuffs, leftovers from the twenty-first century, and gave them to Brisco.

"Thanks, Cal." Brisco holstered his gun and stepped forward.

Sutton raised his rifle and stopped him. "You're gonna pay for this, County."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot. I'm still standing." He knocked the rifle out of his hands using a move Cal taught him, and he slipped around and behind Sutton, grabbed a wrist and twisted it as he turned the man to face the house wall. "Sutton, you're under arrest for the murder of six people through tampering with a railway, fraud, and misappropriation of land."

"You can't..."

"Uh," Brisco warned. "If I were you I'd wait until I've had a chance to talk to a lawyer."

"Good luck findin' one 'round here. Socrates Poole ain't takin' your case," Bowler said.

The handcuffs clicked on Sutton's wrists, and with help from the Major's men, Sutton was mounted on his own horse. Brisco, Cal, and Bowler rode him back to Sunset Ridge with two soldiers backing them. The others stayed and the hands were encouraged to leave or face the consequences. It didn't take much work to convince them.

Once Sutton was locked into his own cell and given an evening meal, Brisco prepared to take his turn spending the night watching him. The soldiers kept guard outside in the cold.

"Brisco, why don't you go home," Bowler suggested. "I can stay here and keep an eye on our friend."

Brisco stared at him askance. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Bowler nodded. "It's okay. Just knowin' he's gonna face a court is enough for me. It'll be fine."

Bowler convinced him. "Okay, but if anything happens, send someone for me, will you?"

"I got two cavalry fellas out there. Ain't nothin' gonna happen." Bowler grinned to ease his friend's mind. "Go on, have a good night with Miss Dixie."

Brisco still didn't feel right about it, but he decided to trust Bowler. He rode Comet home and left him saddled in the barn, just in case. Comet didn't protest. He seemed to sense Brisco's reticence, but he didn't make a sound. He would wait, and if Brisco needed him, Comet would be ready to go at a moment's notice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Brisco entered the house to find Dixie and Louisa standing in the foyer. Louisa had her hair up in a Gibson girl style, something new for her. Dixie finished applying a little rosy color to her lips as the younger woman stared at herself in the mirror and plucked at the intricate lace that hung from a low neckline and cascaded over her bodice.

The dress was new, something that she and Dixie worked on together. It was made of dark blue satin with a straight skirt that swept the floor if she moved just right. Unlike her day wear, she wore no bustle. An overskirt swept from the front to the back into a large bow with ties that hung down the back. The upper half of the dress was a form-fitting bodice that showed off her trim waist in a gentle hourglass shape and flared out to fit over the skirt. When she turned away from the mirror, the lamplight caused sequins and beads to sparkle and set her ablaze with white fire.

Brisco couldn't help but smile. "I sure hope Socrates is your date tonight."

"He is." Louisa mirrored his smile.

"Wow." Brisco breathed as he removed his hat and hung it on the tree. "When he sees you in that, I wouldn't be surprised if he faints dead away!"

Louisa laughed. The door knocker thumped against the metal plate, and she fell silent. For some reason, all of a sudden she felt nervous. "I-is it him?"

"Let me see." Brisco opened the door and Socrates stood before him in one of his better suits and a heavy coat. "Soc! Come in!" He opened the door and moved aside so that his friend could get a good look at Louisa.

The clouds broke during the day after dropping a few inches of snow, and now the sun set in the distance. It lit upon Louisa and her dress, the sequins sparkled even brighter, and Socrates felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Somehow he managed to step inside, hold his hat in his hands, and greet her in a proper manner. He helped her with her wrap and muff, and took the evening bag that held her shoes. She wore snow boots on her feet to the restaurant and the church where the socials were held in the basement.

Louisa would have asked Socrates why he seemed to have no appetite for dinner, but she didn't because she suspected that the butterflies in her stomach could have danced with his. The corset didn't help matters, and she asked Dixie to help her cinch it up a little tighter tonight, which made it harder to eat... or breathe. Even without the corset, Louisa thought it would be difficult.

At the social, with cups of punch in their hands, the couple mingled with others. All the time there were new people at the socials. With new residents coming to town, it was inevitable. That was the reason for the socials, to meet the newcomers and make friends. She especially liked meeting the parents of her new students. Tonight, however, Louisa went through the motions and looked forward to the dancing. More than anything, she wanted to cover the floor with Socrates holding her in his arms.

A small orchestra set up at one end of the hall, and when they were ready, several men moved around the room to lower the lamps. Socrates set his punch cup on a table, and Louisa knew it was time. Her entire body tingled with excitement.

"Louisa, would you care to dance?"

She felt like laughing. Of course, what a silly question! Aloud, she replied, "Of course, Socrates."

He took her cup and placed it beside his, struck a pose and gathered her up with one arm around her waist and the other stuck out to cradle her hand when she laid it in his. The music started, and he began to lead her around the floor in a waltz. It had been so long since she danced like this, Louisa inwardly bit her lip hoping she wouldn't step on his toes. It was so cute how he kept some space between them, enough to feel the air currents whisked up by the other dancers.

Some couples spoke softly as they navigated the floor, but neither of them said a word. Socrates locked his eyes on hers, and if they stirred, it was to admire her dress and how she moved in it. A sweet little smile graced his lips and his entire face glowed with pleasure. Louisa hoped that hers did the same. She knew she was smiling, because her cheek muscles started to feel the tension of holding the expression too long. So she licked her lips, and his eyes dropped down to the movement, then back up to her eyes. His own lips tucked in nervously before resuming the smile.

Any moment now, Socrates. You can kiss me whenever you want. I know you want to do it. I want you to do it. So what are you waiting for? The music ended, disappointing her.

A finger tapped on Socrates' shoulder. "Do you mind if I have a dance with Miss Allen?"

She recognized Mr. Barry's voice before he moved around Socrates and expected him to step out of the way.

"Oh, alright." Socrates released her and moved away, and the man quickly took his place.

"Louisa, you look stunning tonight. Has anyone told you that yet?"

"Um, no." The only person she cared to have say that didn't, but he didn't have to, if the way he zeroed in on her was any indication.

"Well then, I'm glad I was the first." He glanced at Socrates before taking her into a spin as they danced the next number.

Louisa caught a glimpse of him and he looked sick. He was afraid of losing her! He should have said no when John asked. Why didn't he? It angered her a little that he wouldn't stand up and fight for her. She danced with the older man and found him to be light on his feet and fun. She laughed and enjoyed his company, but she hoped that Socrates watched and felt even worse. Maybe then he would get up the nerve to take possession of her and not let go. She was his if he would only ask, but until he did, she would play the game.

"I'm surprised that you wanted to dance with me," John said.

"I'm only being polite," she replied with an impish smile.

He laughed. "I should be insulted by that but I won't be. The way you two were looking at each other before I butted in made it pretty obvious I'm out of luck as far as hooking up with you."

"Well, that all depends on Socrates."

John looked down at her with intensity in his eyes. "Lou, don't give up on him. I know he loves you." He leaned closer and spoke softly into her ear. "But if you need any help nudging him, I would gladly help. If only for a smidge of hope that you might change your mind."

"You like to play with fire, don't you."

"You betcha, Miss Allen." He winked. The music stopped and she made a move to get away, but he held her by the waist.

"Thank you for the dance, John."

"I'm not through yet, Lou." He nodded at the band. The leader nodded back, and suddenly the tempo changed to something not from the nineteenth century.

A couple of bars in, Louisa recognized it as a tune from the 40s – the 1940s. "John!" She grinned. "You're terrible!"

"Come on, Lou. Dance it with me." He took her hand, loosened up on her waist, and began to jitterbug with her.

The other dancers had no clue what to do, so they stood around and watched the couple. The dance was awkward for Louisa with her dress, but she gave it her best. Socrates was completely at a loss. He gulped his punch and stared along with everyone, dismayed at her behavior, wondering if she'd become enamored with John Barry after all. His heart sank to his feet, but a fire started in his belly and worked its way up to his cheeks. Let them have their fun, but after this dance...

The music ended and silence reigned for a few moments. The other guests clapped politely, and Louisa's cheeks flushed. John seemed to be enjoying the attention. Louisa said something to him, spun out of his grip, and in a swirl of skirts retreated to Socrates' side.

"That was quite interesting, Louisa."

"I'm sorry, Socrates. I wasn't expecting it." She worked to catch her breath. That darn corset was way too tight for what she'd done. She tried to get her breathing under control and yet feel as if she wasn't suffocating. Spots danced before her eyes, and beyond them, Socrates looked concerned.

"Louisa. Are you... are you okay?" He slipped his arm around her waist.

"Oh boy, it must be this cold I'm fighting. I'm sorry. I'll be good soon, just need to sit down a minute, maybe."

"Of course." He led her to a chair, and her knees buckled before he could sit her in it. "Louisa? Louisa! Oh dear!" His head whipped around, looking for a place to lay her, but there were no fainting couches within carrying distance. He had no choice but to lay her on the floor.

"Hey, is she okay?"

Socrates looked up to see John and a few others gathering around. Anger came to the forefront and Socrates tried to control it and keep it from his voice. "No, she's not okay. She fainted because you just had to show off out there."

"Sorry. I didn't think it would be a problem."

"No, you didn't. And that's what makes you different from me. I care about Louisa and her welfare." Strong words, but that was how he felt. He gathered her skirts around her legs and lifted them onto a couple of cushions that someone brought over, resting her feet on them. Then he returned to Louisa's side and held her hand in his until she began to stir.

When her eyelids fluttered, people moved away. The spectacle was over. John disappeared, but Socrates didn't care where he went as long as it was away from Louisa. He looked down at her and she bore an embarrassed expression. He smiled at her and caressed her hand.

"Feeling better?"

"Aw man, I passed out, didn't I?" She got her elbows under and pushed herself up.

Socrates took her in his arms and helped her to sit. "Are you sure that's wise right now?"  
"I'm fine. Just really mortified." She looked up at him. "Can we go now? I don't feel like dancing anymore."

"Certainly." He helped her to her feet, and together they retrieved their outerwear and escaped into the night.

A light snow fell on them in big fluffy flakes. Louisa took in a crisp breath. "Isn't it beautiful, Socrates? I'm not a fan of snow, but when it's like this, it just makes me... I don't know... just joyful inside." She turned to him. "Do you think we could still rent a sleigh tonight?"

"A sleigh?"

"Yeah, I know they have a few at the stables!" She tugged on his hand. "Oh please, Soc. Please, let's go a riding in a one-horse sleigh." Little did he know she was singing lyrics to a modern Christmas song from her time.

He saw the excitement in her eyes and the way her face glowed as she tilted it up toward the heavens. He would be crazy to say no. "Okay, let's see what we can get."

Not long after, the couple sat with hips touching in the narrow sleigh, legs covered by Louisa's skirts and heavy blankets. Warm bricks lay at their feet. Her wrap wasn't nearly good enough for riding, so he settled a blanket around her shoulders and took the other side around his so they were wrapped up together. He'd never done anything like this with a woman before. It was intriguing and exciting. It was even fun to break out of his comfort zone. He had a feeling that if he and Louisa stayed together, he would be doing that a lot. Maybe it was exactly what he needed. Resisting it was futile.

As he steered the horse out of town and onto the open road, Louisa sang the jaunty little song that she started to sing to entice him to rent the sleigh.

"That's an adorable little song," he said.

"I always liked it." She nestled closer into him and he put an arm around her.

With his free hand, Socrates held onto the reins. He would have liked to take them across the open land but there were too many settlements on the outskirts with barb wire fences everywhere. As the couple escaped the confines of the town, the sky grew dark. Soon it would be hard to see even with the blanket of fresh white snow.

"We probably shouldn't go too far," Louisa said, surprising him.

"You're right." He slowed the horse until they came to a stop near a stand of evergreens. It was dark underneath, but light enough to see shadows and their faces in silhouettes.

"Despite fainting, I've had a really nice night," Louisa said. "Dancing with John was fun, even the jitterbug, but..." Louisa's hand came up to touch the side of his face. "You have a style, a tenderness in your movements. You're beautiful when you dance. Do you know that?"

"No." He swallowed. "No one has ever told me that." He closed his eyes as her bare hand skimmed over his skin in a way that caused the butterflies to flutter inside again. It was now or never, the moment when everything came together. He took a breath, opened his eyes, and his hand floated over her cheek as his voice came out soft but steady, "Louisa, I love you." The rest of his breath came out in relief. He said it without hesitation, but with emotion in every syllable.

Louisa replied with a breathy voice. "I love you too, Socrates."

He slanted his face and lowered his lips to hers in a first kiss that was soft and warm and tasted of fruit and sweetness lingering from the punch. Her arms went around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist and back as the kiss deepened. The last time he kissed a woman like that, it was Rita Avnet, and she attacked him like a crazy woman dying of thirst and he was the water she wanted to drink. Louisa kissed him like he was home, and she was comfortable there. He couldn't have agreed more.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Dixie, when did Lou come home last night?" Brisco took his place at the kitchen table, sitting town in front of a hot steaming breakfast waiting on plates in the center. Louisa's chair was empty.

"I don't know. Her door was closed and I knocked, but she didn't answer."

A feeling of dread settled into his stomach. "Did you check on her? Maybe she's sick."

"If she came in late, she's probably just tired. Let her rest, Brisco, and I'll reheat something for her later."

"Okay." He ate his breakfast, but all the while he worried about her. She definitely came home, because he saw her coat hanging on the peg near the front door, and her boots were in the boot tray. "I wonder if... no." He shook his head.

"No, what?" Dixie's gaze bored into him, forcing him to look up at her.

"I was thinking that maybe Socrates finally declared his love for her, and they decided to, um..."

"Brisco, you know that Socrates is too much of a gentleman to do that! Besides, if it took him this long to tell her he loves her, I doubt he'll be able to do much else."

Brisco chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right."

After breakfast was cleared away and he helped Dixie with the dishes, Brisco went back upstairs to finish getting ready for church. He stopped at the top of the stairs when he heard a thump coming from Louisa's room. Concerned, he tiptoed up to it and his knuckles almost didn't graze the wood when he knocked.

"Who is it?"

"It's Brisco, Lou. Are you okay?"

She coughed. "Just a minute." A few seconds later she appeared at the door in her nightgown and a robe clutched in her hand. "What time is it?"  
"Almost time for church." He studied her. "You look..."

"Terrible. I know. Socrates and I were out way too late last night, flitting across the snow in a two-person sleigh," she said, a smile stretching across her face. "We kept going and going and he said he loved me, I said I loved him, we kissed, and..." She ended with a sigh. "It was all over much too soon."

"You kissed." He smiled.

"Yes, we did." She replied, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "But that's all. I was darn lucky I got a few I love you's out of him with those kisses." She giggled, then sobered. "At least now I know, Brisco. I just hope he doesn't make me wait forever. Neither of us is getting any younger!"

"Maybe you need to ask him the big question."

"Oh no! I don't want to scare him. I tell you, I'm so glad that Rita chick is back in the looney bin. Poor Socrates was afraid she'd find a way to break out of your jail and get a hold of him. He's had enough of aggressive women for awhile."

"Well, maybe we better put in a prayer request for you." He grinned.

"You're so bad. Now get! I have to make myself presentable for church!" She slammed the door and cut off further conversation.

Somehow Louisa managed to get herself together and make it to church on time to sit with Dixie and Brisco. She was even more surprised when Socrates came in and slipped into the pew next to her. She shared a secret smile with him and held onto his hand during the service. He stayed at the Countys' for lunch, and he and Louisa went for another sleigh ride, except this time in the daylight.

Things changed after that. Socrates lost his fear of showing affection and often held her hand in public. In the morning he made a point of meeting her at the bottom of the stairs to his apartment for a few words and a quick kiss. He spent every evening at the Countys' for dinner and listened to her play the piano. Dixie pretended to get tired earlier so that the two would have some alone time in the parlor.

With only a few days left before Christmas, Socrates had to make a trip to Sacramento. He promised he would be back the day before the holiday. The last night together, he brought her a gift. Dixie and Brisco watched with shock as she opened it. It was too big to be a ring.

The pretty paper tore easily, and Louisa almost regretted not being neat about unwrapping the gift. She wondered why Socrates couldn't wait until Christmas. Underneath the paper she found a black case. She opened it and gasped when she saw the flute inside. "Soc, it's beautiful! It reminds me of the flute I had back in the future!"

Brisco gave him a look, silently asking why he gave it to her now. Socrates waved away the silent query. "I wanted you to have this before Christmas, so maybe you can play some Christmas music on it before I leave." He smiled. "It'll give me something to look forward to coming home to hear more."

"That is so sweet of you!" Louisa leaned into him and kissed his lips, not caring that Brisco and Dixie watched. It was a short kiss, and as soon as she pulled away, Louisa assembled the flute. She arose, struck a middle C on the piano and tuned the instrument. In no time at all, she was playing it, filling the room with the light lilting tones of cheerful carols.

When Socrates finally had to leave, she thanked him with her lips and promised to practice while he was gone so she could play other tunes. With the flute in her hands, she gave him one last line of White Christmas, and sent him out into a snowy evening. All the way to Sacramento he replayed the songs in his head and longed for the train to go in the other direction to take him home to her.

The last day of school before Christmas was an effort in futility. The kids were excited about the holiday and too antsy to sit still. Louisa tried teaching them, but she too was eager for the next day. Socrates would be back, and he was expected to be at Brisco and Dixie's at nine a.m. sharp for breakfast and presents. She couldn't wait to give him the scarf she made and the new hat she bought him. It stood in the mercantile window one day on her way to the school, and the moment her eyes landed on it, she could see him in it.

After the kids had their lunches and played out in the snow, they were even less inclined to sit still for lessons. She had them cut paper snowflakes and chains to decorate the classroom. Then it was time to cleanup and go home. She passed his office and peered into the darkness inside. All she saw was her reflection. Silly me. He won't be back until late tonight! A drop of rain hit her nose and she looked up. The gray skies were going to ruin Christmas snow with rain? Seriously? She groaned and continued on her way.

"Miss Allen."

"Mr. Mueller. Hello!" She greeted the old German who ran the telegraph office. "I would say it's a lovely day, but I believe rain is going to ruin it."

"Ach, that is the way it is living here," he replied. "I have a telegram for you."

"A telegram for me?"

"Ja. Come in, and I will get it for you."

Louisa entered the small office and stood in front of a tall counter. Mr. Mueller went to his desk and flipped through a few pieces of paper. "Ah, here it is." He handed it to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Mueller. Merry Christmas!"

"Freuliche Weinachten, Miss Allen!" He waved as she left the office.

Outside, the rain appeared to have stopped. She opened the folded paper and looked inside.

_Louisa, I miss you. I love you. Looking forward to Christmas Day. With all my heart, Socrates._

She sighed, smiled, and held the telegram to her heart. She hurried her steps, because she still had so much to do before Socrates arrived.

The train was on schedule, much to his relief. Socrates wished for one of those fancy flying machines he heard about. Yes, the airplane. One of those would get him home a lot faster. He wasn't going to see Louisa until the next day anyway, but he just wanted to be in the same town with her. Honestly, he wanted to be in the same building, the same room, the same life with her. He patted the pocket of his vest and felt the imprint of the ring that nestled within the fabric. He could have packed it in his suitcase, but he was afraid it might get lost or stolen. When he saw the ring in the store window near the state capitol building, he couldn't resist it. He hadn't bought Louisa anything yet for Christmas because he didn't know what to get. The ring, and a pledge to marry, would be more precious than anything else he could have chosen.

Only one more stop before Hope Falls, and then he would rent a horse and sleigh to get home. He sighed. It wouldn't be nearly as much fun alone. Louisa ruined it for him. Without her, it was just transportation. His mind wandered to her, imagining her kisses and her arms around him. He was with her in a sleigh, skimming over the snow as smoothly as a train on rails. Suddenly, the wheels beneath the car squealed, and the train began a slow progression to a stop. Socrates opened his eyes and looked around at the other startled passengers.

Sounds like metal creaking and wood crashing assaulted his ears, and then it felt like hitting a brick wall when the car slammed into something ahead of them. His body flew forward into the seat in front of him, knocking the wind out of him. He flopped back into the seat and his body sank to the floor. In the cramped space, he folded up like an accordion and his head whipped against the wall, knocking him out.

When Socrates regained consciousness, it was dark outside. He felt as if he was alone. There were no other sounds around him. "Hello? Can anybody hear me?" No one replied. He couldn't see, it was so dark, except for a flickering above his head. It danced on the walls. He smelled... smoke. Socrates grabbed the top of the seat in front of him and pulled himself up to stand. Everything was blurry, and he realized that his glasses were gone. No time to look for them. Even without his spectacles, he could see that the train cars ahead of his were on fire. The flames were edging ever closer to the car.

"Fire! Everyone, there's a fire!" He sprung into action and stumbled down the aisle, tripping over people, trying to wake them. People heeded his calls, and soon everyone evacuated through a door at the back. Men, women and children leaped out into the culvert that was filled with snow, breaking their falls. "We must get clear of the train, people. Come on!"

Socrates and a few other men herded the other passengers away from the flames. From a slight rise the people could see the damage. The locomotive ran into an avalanche full of rocks and trees. The tender, a couple of freight cars, and one passenger car zig zagged off the track, piled up, and fed the fire from the locomotive.

"How far are we from Hope Falls," someone asked.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a GPS right now," someone muttered, and Socrates turned to see John Barry sitting in the snow next to him.

"John! What are you doing here!"

"Socrates? Oh man, I'm glad to see somebody I know. Jeez. This is unbelievable."

"What were you doing on that train?"

"I was... I was helping my family come home. They went west, not east like everyone thought. I found out and went to get them. They had to sell everything they left with in order to live, but there was enough money left to take the train back."

"Where are they?" Socrates looked around, but everyone was blurry without his glasses.

John didn't speak at first. "I went back to the dining car to get some sandwiches, just before this happened." He bit his bottom lip. "We were in the first car."

Despite his poor vision, Socrates could easily see that anyone in the first car was surely trapped and burned to death. Socrates turned to him. "I'm sorry, John."

"I was so close to them. I got to meet my ancestors, Soc. And now I lost them." He shook his head. "This didn't happen before. It's my fault." Tears trickled down his face and froze in the cold air.

"Why do you say that? You didn't cause this avalanche. Did you?"

John glared at him. As if he could do such a thing! "No, but if I hadn't been here, they wouldn't have been on that train. My traveling through time killed them."

"I'm sorry, John. It's tragic, but you can't blame yourself for this."

"I can, and I do." He patted his pockets and looked around. "I really wish I had a GPS right now! Or a cell phone that would work!"

"What's a GPS?"

"It stands for Global Positioning System. It's a device that could show me what's the quickest and best route to get back to Sunset Ridge, or Hope Falls, whichever one is closer."

"By train it would be Hope Falls."

"But if we knew which direction Sunset Ridge was, we could cut through this terrain and get there without following the tracks to Hope Falls and then taking the road home."

Socrates shook his head. "That sounds dangerous even if you had this GPS thingamajig."

"The next best thing would be a map and a compass. Unfortunately, I left my coat in the railcar and I had both." He caught Socrates' questioning look and shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I like to be prepared."

"Although not prepared enough. You'll freeze in that suit jacket."

"Which means I need to start moving, one way or another. We all need to head somewhere."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," a man said as he neared them. "Charles Simpson. You need a map and a compass, I have both." He smiled and held them out.

"You got a light I can see by," John asked. A match flared and Charles tipped it to a candle. John snorted. "And I thought I was prepared!" He quickly studied the map and figured out approximately where they were with Charles' help. "Okay, if we were to head due east through those woods, we'd make a shortcut to Sunset Ridge."

"But there's a canyon here between the woods and the Ridge." Charles shook his head. "I think we're just better off going along the tracks to get to Hope Falls."

Socrates said, "If we do it, we better do it now. We have to cross a railroad bridge, and that's a long way down. If we have anyone who's afraid of heights, they'll never make it across if they can see what's below."

"Soc's right. How many of us are there?"

Charles answered. "I counted twenty one."

"A lucky number," John said with a crooked smile. "Okay, we should have buddies, two by two, except for one group of three."

"What about families," Charles asked.

"Two by two. It'll be safer going over the bridge. If people are hanging onto each other, we could lose another whole family..." His voice caught in his throat. Socrates placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"You've got a point. Okay, let's do this." Charles walked back to the groups of people milling about, outlined the plan, and divided people up into sets of two. In a double line the people walked past the burning wreckage. Flames and sparks reached like fingers into the sky. Those who dared to look saw only skeletons of the cars remained. No sign of humans.

"I wonder how long it'll take to get to Hope Falls," John mused aloud.

"I don't know." Socrates, who walked beside him, replied. "I just know we're not going to make it home by Christmas morning."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It seemed as if the group had been walking all night when a sound of rushing water overcame the whispered conversations. "Looks like we're at the bridge," Charles said to John and Socrates. "Let's get everyone across."

With instructions to be careful and take slow steps, the first duos stepped on the railroad ties. Once it became easier to gauge how far apart the wooden beams were, the peoples' steps quickened. The trio stayed behind to make sure everyone got across. Those too terrified teamed up with some teens who came back to help.

"It's easy, really!" With eyes closed, the frightened women were carried in the arms of the strong young men. The men were on their own and had to suck it up and make it across.

"Everyone's over," John said. "Let's go."

The three walked side by side and stepped almost in tandem across the bridge. John's foot slipped on some snow near the rail. His arms flailed and he tilted toward the edge. He tried to compensate, but his weight took him over the side.

"John!" Socrates and Charles dove for him, but only Socrates got a hold of his arm. He cringed and felt himself slipping closer to the edge. He wedged a foot between the ties and stopped his body from plunging over. "Charles. Help!"

Charles got on his stomach and reached for John's sleeve. It was slipping from Socrates' grip.

"Hey, let me go, Soc. Just let me go!"

"No! We're not letting you die," Charles and Socrates said with determination. They pulled together and felt him rise a few inches.

"I'm slipping!" Charles wedged himself against the rail. He groaned as he pulled.

Socrates felt the muscles in his arms screaming in pain. He could have sworn something tore and he scrunched his eyes up against the burning sensation. But no matter how much he resented this man's attempts to steal his love from him, his actions did not deserve a grisly death on this bridge. Socrates would rather die trying to save his life than to go home and admit he did nothing to help. He held on tightly, and he felt John's hand reach up and grasp the beam next to his left arm.

"We've almost got him," Charles exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed the back of John's pants and pulled harder.

Suddenly John found himself back on the bridge. All three men lay back on the ties, exhausted and breathing like a freight train out of control.

"Socrates." John puffed. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did. It's not your time yet. You've got a ranch to get back to and a life to build there."

"Alone. No family."

"Start one." Socrates sat up and shrugged.

"That'll be pretty hard to do considering that a friend of mine has the hots for the girl I wanted." John grinned and chuckled in the darkness.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I know she loves you. Everybody's talking about it." He rose to his feet and Socrates and Charles joined him. "Let's get off this thing. I'm sure we've got people freaking out over there."

"Where are you from, John?" Charles asked as they finished their trek across the bridge.

"Why do you ask?"

"You talk funny."

"You don't really wanna know. Trust me, you won't believe me if I told you, and if you did, it would blow your mind."

"Whatever you say."

With frequent breaks to rest, the group wandered into Hope Falls in the wee hours of the morning. None of them had ever been so happy to see the little town. The depot was dark, and a search of all the windows showed no one inside.

"We should probably go over to the hotel." Someone said and a group broke off.

"We should go to the Sheriff's office," Charles said. Some of the people followed him, including John and Socrates.

The Sheriff's office was also dark and empty, and a note on the door indicated that unless there was an emergency, it would remain closed due to the holiday.

"Oh yeah, and what does he think this is?" John smirked. "Soc, I think we should just try to get a horse or something to take us back to Sunset Ridge."

"I hope we can get something, because it's about fifteen miles south of here. That would be a long walk."

"Good luck, fellas." Charles shook their hands. "And Merry Christmas."

The two men smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too, Charles."

John and Socrates walked down the street and found a livery stable where a light shone in the barn. A young boy was mucking out stables. He heard them enter and turned. Looking them up and down, he stared.

"What happened to you fellas?"

"The train crashed into an avalanche," Socrates answered.

The boys eyes grew wide. "It did? Where?"

"Don't worry about it. All the survivors are here in town and we need to rent a horse and sleigh to get us to Sunset Ridge," John said.

When the kid stopped gaping, he exclaimed, "I'll get my father!"

"What on earth happened to you boys," the owner said when he got a good look at the men.

"The train was on its way here and crashed into an avalanche. We and some others were able to get out and walked back here. Now it's imperative that we return to Sunset Ridge," Socrates explained.

"I heard some talk about an avalanche. We just thought the train would stop and wait until the rails were dug out."

"It's not a really bad avalanche, but the train wreck was a whole lot worse," John said.

"You boys got any tickets to prove you were on that train?"  
"I do." Socrates pulled his from a pocket. "My name is Socrates Poole, I'm a lawyer, and I have a practice in Sunset Ridge. Sheriff Brisco County is a friend of mine."

"Sheriff County, eh? He cleaned that town up real good from what I heard." The man smiled. "Okay, just hold on a minute and I'll have a team set up. You might have some other passengers who need to get to Sunset Ridge, and if so , you can take the lot of them."

"That's a good idea," John said to Socrates.

Within a half hour the sleigh was filled to capacity eight people and the two horses trotted through the snow to their final destination. The sun came up in the east and lit the road ahead. The snow sparkled like it contained diamonds, reminding Socrates of the ring. He patted his vest pocket, relieved that it was still there. Someone in the back started singing, and others took up the happy caroling. Sunset Ridge was in sight, and everyone was happy to make it home for Christmas morning. One family of four was dropped off at a homestead along the way, and two more got off near the village limits. That left John and Socrates riding the front seat.

"Man, I never thought I'd be spending a Christmas Eve stranded out there like that." John glanced at Socrates. "I'm glad there were no hard feelings over me trying to move in on Louisa."

"Why should there be?" Socrates had plenty of reasons, but in this season of good will he decided to be a better man about it.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm just really grateful for you saving my life. Charles was about ready to go over himself. You were like our anchor, man. Thanks." He held out a hand and Socrates shook it. He stopped the sleigh in front of Socrates' office. "Here's your stop."

"Actually, if you could drop me off at Brisco's I'd be really grateful."

"Hey, no problem, Soc. I suppose you can't wait to see Lou, can you?" He looked at him and said, "You really shoulda cleaned up first. You look like crap!"

Socrates laughed. "I feel like it, but after what happened, I don't think I can waste the time going to my apartment first."

"I understand." The jingle bells on the horses' harnesses stilled as John pulled up to the front door. "Take care, Soc. And be good to that woman. Don't make me wish I'd been more aggressive."

"You have my word, she will be treated like the treasure that she is."  
John smiled wide. "Good luck to you two."

Socrates got out of the sleigh and nodded. With a slap of the reins, John set the horses trotting away toward the stables where he was to drop off the sleigh.

It was early yet, and Louisa heard sleighbells. Sleighbells that were getting closer to the house. She pushed the covers off herself and rolled off the bed, stepped into her slippers, and moved to the window. She pulled up the blind and pushed the sheers aside to see a large sleigh below. She blinked. That looked like John, except he was unkempt. His clothes were torn and he had no coat or hat. The strawberry blonde but balding man next to him looked like...

She chirped. "Socrates." She gasped as he got off the sleigh. "Jeez, what happened to you?" Without another thought, she ran for the door and tore her robe from the peg on it, threw the door open and hurried downstairs as she put on her robe and tied it at her waist. She heard noises in the kitchen and voices. Thinking she missed Socrates coming inside, she rushed into the kitchen.

Brisco looked up from his coffee at the wild woman in the doorway. Loiusa's hair was loose and sticking up everywhere. Her eyes were wide with excitement, but they quickly closed down. "Where is he? Where's Socrates?"

"He's not due for another hour, Lou. You better get yourself together if you want..." Dixie was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

Louisa hopped and turned at the same time. "It's him," she screeched in a high pitched voice and ran for the front door.

"What on earth has gotten into her, Brisco?"

"I don't know." He rose and set his cup on the table, then followed her to the foyer. By the time he arrived the door was wide open, a silhouette against the bright white light swayed in front of it. "Hey, you wanna keep the cold outside where it belongs?" He moved around the hugging and kissing couple and closed it for them with a solid thud.

Dixie joined them, equally puzzled about the display. "Would someone please explain what is going on?"

Socrates managed to break away from Louisa's lips and grin at her. "Merry Christmas, Dixie. And Brisco! You don't know how great it is to be alive!"

"I think you need to sit down, relax, and tell us what this is all about," Brisco said as he took Socrates by the sleeve and led him to the kitchen. "Lou, you better go get changed."

"But I wanna know what happened too!"

"Don't worry. We'll get Soc calmed down, and give you time to get yourself together. Then we'll talk."

Louisa gave Brisco an annoyed look. "I'm not a little kid, Brisco." She looked at Socrates. He was still agitated. "Okay, I'll be down in five minutes." She picked up the hem of her gown and robe and raced up the stairs. As promised, she returned in less than five minutes.

By then Socrates sat at the table with a cup of coffee, his face and hands washed, and his clothing somewhat straightened. He told them about the accident and how he and John worked with another passenger to get everyone to Hope Falls and on to Sunset Ridge. Everyone felt pity for John losing his family, and who knew what other lives were lost.

"Will you need to go out there, Brisco?"

"Probably not. Most likely the sheriff of Hope Falls will contact the railroad and the rail company will have to deal with the cleanup and such." He gazed into his coffee cup. "Such a shame on Christmas."

"At least most of the passengers survived, thanks to Socrates and John." Louisa said as she hugged Socrates' arm. "How about that, I've got myself a real live hero. The kids are going to love this when we meet again on Monday!"

"I didn't do it to be a hero. It was just... I don't know. I wasn't even thinking. I don't think any of us were. We all just wanted to go home."

"Home. It's great to have you here, Socrates," Dixie said with a smile.

"It's great to be here." Socrates reached for Louisa's hand and held it in his. "I have something for you."

"I thought you already gave me my Christmas present," Louisa said with a coy smile.

"This is better than that." He reached in to his pocket. This wasn't how he'd planned on asking, but after last night's brush with death, he didn't want to waste any more time. The ring slipped out of the pocket and he held it between his finger and thumb so she could see it sparkle in the sunlight that filtered in through the kitchen curtains.

Her breath sucked in as she set her eyes upon it, and then her eyes locked on his. "Socrates..."

"Louisa, I know I only recently said I love you. But you know I loved you long before that. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I had hoped, prayed, that you would love me too. And you have. So now I would like to know if you would be my wife. Will you marry me, and love me forever?"

"Yes, Socrates. You bet I will." She eagerly thrust her hand out and wiggled the fingers with a mixture of excitement and fear. She'd never gotten this close to marriage before. Her own parents failed at it, and her home life was a mess. Maybe living with Brisco and Dixie had been a good learning experience for her. She saw what true love was like and how people behaved when their home was full of love. She could only hope that Socrates and hers was the same.

The ring slid onto her finger easily. He had no idea what her size was. It was a little tight, but she pushed until it rode over the knuckle and stopped at the end. Her fingers curled around his. She had the biggest smile on her face. Even without his glasses, he could see it. They closed the space between them and kissed. A soft "Awww" came out of Dixie.

"Well," Socrates said when their lips finally parted. He looked around and realized that they were alone. "Wonder where Brisco and Dixie went?"

The couple stood and walked into the parlor to find the couple snuggled up on the love seat before the fireplace. Brisco heard a floorboard creak and turned his head. "Well, it was about time you two stopped lip-locking! Let's open some stuff!"

Neither Louisa nor Socrates wanted a long engagement. Reverend Hart insisted that the couple meet with him before the wedding, however, and on New Year's Eve the two stood at the altar and pledged their lives to each other. The post-wedding party was at the Countys'. Bowler was in town to witness the vows and festivities, and when the couple left in a sleigh to ride down the street to Socrates', and now Louisa's apartment, she tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. It landed at Bowler's feet.

"Well, looks like you lucked out of that one," Dixie purred as a little girl, one of Louisa's students, picked it up and ran away after her parents. "You were almost the next one to marry."

"Sorry, Dixie, that ain't never happenin' to me. I say good luck to you all, but I'm married to the open road and the thrill of adventure."

"Maybe so, but you can lay your head in our home any time," Brisco offered with a smile and a handshake.

"I believe I'll take y'all up on that tonight. Thank you."

"Good. It's going to be awfully quiet around here without Lou and her piano and flute playing." Dixie complained.

"I could always sing, if you play the piano, Miss Dixie."

She smiled. "That's a great idea, Bowler. Come on and warm up those pipes!" The three went inside, closed the doors against the chill, and enjoyed the last few hours of the year together.


End file.
